Characteristics of human perception and their relevance when studying information behavior

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight findings regarding human perception in allied disciplines and to argue that information behaviour research needs to find ways to address human characteristics that imply that: first, subjects are likely to fail to recognize information that is present in an environment and potentially relevant to a task at hand; and second, subjects would not be able to report on the fact that they failed to recognize the information. The authors also discuss as to how information behaviour research can address the aforementioned challenges resulting from human movement and perception. Design/methodology/approach – The author draws on the literature primarily in cognitive science and psychology to highlight the findings that are most relevant to the scientific study of information behaviour, to develop a model of the information environment in which information behaviour is situated, and to critically examine how data is collected in information behaviour research. Ways ...