Searching through cyberspace: the effects of link display and link density on information retrieval from hypertext on the World Wide Web

This study investigated information retrieval from hypertext on Internet's World Wide Web (WWW). Significant main and interaction effects were found for both link density (number of links per display) and display format (in paragraphs or lists) on search performance. Low link densities displayed in list format produced the best overall results, in terms of search accuracy, search time, number of links explored, and search task prioritization. Lower densities affected user ability to prioritize search tasks and produced more accurate searches, while list displays positively affected all aspects of searching except task prioritization. The performance of novices and experts, in terms of their previous experience browsing hypertext on the WWW, was compared. Experts performed better, mostly because of their superior task prioritization.

[1]  M. J. Henry,et al.  Hypertext Hands-On!: Ben Shneiderman and Greg Kearsley. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. 1989. 165 pp. (plus two disks). $ 27.92. ISBN 0-201-15171-5 , 1995 .

[2]  Wilhelmina C. Savenye,et al.  Effects of learner control, advisement, and prior knowledge on young students' learning in a hypertext environment , 1994 .

[3]  Thomas M. Duffy,et al.  Hypermedia and instruction: where is the match? , 1990 .

[4]  Ben Shneiderman,et al.  Navigating in hyperspace: designing a structure-based toolbox , 1994, CACM.

[5]  Lloyd P. Rieber,et al.  Animation as feedback in a computer-based simulation: Representation matters , 1996 .

[6]  Tricia Jones.  Incidental Learning During Information Retrieval: A Hypertext Experiment , 1989, ICCAL.

[7]  Thomas M. Duffy,et al.  Accessing elaborations on core information in a hypermedia environment , 1993 .

[8]  Geoffrey R. Norman,et al.  The role of knowledge in teaching and assessment of problem-solving , 1985 .

[9]  James D. Klein,et al.  The effects of search tool type and cognitive style on performance during hypermedia database searches , 1996 .

[10]  G. Halasz Frank,et al.  Reflections on NoteCards: seven issues for the next generation of hypermedia systems , 1987, CACM.

[11]  Andries van Dam,et al.  Hypertext '87: keynote address , 1988, CACM.

[12]  Gary Marchionini,et al.  Performance in Electronic Encyclopedias: Implications for Adaptive Systems. , 1991 .

[13]  Nick Hammond,et al.  Hypermedia and Learning: Who Guides Whom? (Invited Paper) , 1989, ICCAL.

[14]  Jeff Conklin,et al.  Hypertext: An Introduction and Survey , 1987, Computer.

[15]  Patricia Wright,et al.  An Empirical Comparison of Two Navigation Systems for Two Hypertexts , 1989, UK Hypertext.

[16]  R. Snow,et al.  Lecture 2: Toward a Theory of Cognitive Aptitude for Learning from Instruction , 1984 .

[17]  Vannevar Bush,et al.  As we may think , 1945, INTR.

[18]  Craig Locatis,et al.  Hypermedia and instruction , 1989 .

[19]  Nick Hammond,et al.  Extending hypertext for learning: an investigation of access and guidance tools , 1990 .

[20]  Stephen T. Kerr.  Learning to use electronic text: An agenda for research on typography, graphics, and interpanel navigation , 1984 .