STATE COLLEGE, Pa., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Pennsylvania State University researchers say they've discovered Internet search engine use is becoming part of the learning process.
The researchers, led by Associate Professor Jim Jansen, said their study sought to discover the cognitive processes underlying searching. They examined the search habits of 72 participants while conducting a total of 426 searching tasks.
They said they found search engines are primarily used for fact checking the users' own internal knowledge, meaning that the search engines are part of the learning process, rather than simply a source for information.
"Our results suggest the view of Web searchers having simple information needs may be incorrect," Jansen said. "Instead, we discovered that users applied simple searching expressions to support their higher-level information needs."
The scientists said their findings not only provide useful information about how search engine use has evolved, but also provides clues about how to design better search engines to address users' learning needs in the future.
Jensen, Associate Professor Brian Smith and former Penn State student Danielle Booth present their findings in the November issue of the journal Information Processing and Management.
