Optimal Use of an Information Retrieval System

This article examines a simple model of an information retrieval (IR) technology, and uses this model to examine the optimal use of such a technology. In particular, we show that, if we understand optimal behavior, then we can (a) use observed behaviorto shed light on the user’s objective function, and (b) analyze how a user’s behavior changes as her environment changes, for various specifications of the user’s objective function. We also show how user satisfaction varies with the underlying stochastic behavior of the retrieval process.

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