Table 1 Main categories of information-seeking behaviour according to Wilson’s model
From: Diabetes-related information-seeking behaviour: a systematic review
| Deductive categories of information-seeking behaviour (Wilson’s model) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main categories | Subcategories | Definition [8] |
| Types of information-seeking behaviour | Passive attention | ‘Such as listening to the radio or watching television programmes, where information acquisition may take place without intentional seeking’ |
| Passive searching | ‘Signifies those occasions when one type of search (or other behaviour) results in the acquisition of information that happens to be relevant to the individual’ | |
| Active searching | Active searching is ‘where an individual actively seeks out information’ | |
| Ongoing searching | ‘Where active searching has already established the basic framework of knowledge, ideas, beliefs or values, but where occasional continuing search is carried out to update or expand one’s framework’ | |
| Intervening variables | Psychological | Psychological intervening variables include, e.g. cognitive dissonance, cognitive and emotional characteristics |
| Demographic | Demographic intervening variables cover, e.g. age and sex | |
| Role-related or interpersonal | Role-related or interpersonal intervening variables cover, e.g. social systems, requirements and level of responsibility | |
| Environmental | Environmental intervening variables cover, e.g. time, geography and national cultures | |
| Source characteristics | Source characteristics cover, e.g. access, credibility and the channel of communication | |