Self-Initiated versus Assigned Collaborative Tasks (2011)

Undergraduate: Beth Sams

Faculty Advisor: Robert Capra
Department: Information Science

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Studies have shown people search for information differently while working on an assigned task versus a self-initiated query. However, this effect has not been studied in groups working together collaboratively. The goal of this work is to determine if collaboration motivated by assigned queries is different from self-initiated collaboration regarding the presence or absence of division of labor, obstacles faced, and the quality and quantity of information retrieved. Participants will collaboratively complete five Web search tasks (four assigned and one self-generated) while sitting at different computers and communicating via instant messaging. The participants will fill out surveys at the end of each task and at the end of the study. The results will help designers create more effective systems to support people conducting searches collaboratively and help teachers and managers be able to understand how their assignments can affect the ways information is retrieved collaboratively.