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Kivette N. Gural Dr. Bishop Information Seeking LIS601-202 5 March 2013 Analyzing Your Own Information Behavior Nothing can send me scrambling for information faster than learning that someone I care about or I myself have a health problem. This reaction has always been the case: when my father suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke four years ago I spent hours reading about what it was, how it affected his brain, and what were his chances of recovery. But even as much time as I spent researching his affliction, it is nothing compared to the breadth and depth of the information seeking that I have recently been conducting. On February 18, 2013, I was officially diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome along with 4G5G polymorphism of the plasminogen activator 1 gene. The main problem for those with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is that their insulin resistance is abnormally high. The insulin resistance causes a long list of other problems that, in turn, make the insulin resistance worse. These problems feed off each other in a viscous cycle. (The 4G5G polymorphism of the plasminogen activator 1 gene causes the exact same problem with insulin resistance and compounds the problem, so while that issue also applies, more emphasis will be given in this paper to the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.) Knowing that I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, though, has only been a recent development. There have been countless hours of information seeking both prior to and since the diagnosis. One year ago I miscarried our (my husband and my) first child. That, besides being traumatic, sent me into a flurry of information seeking. The first source of information I had was my own body. The pain and various other signs told me that something was wrong with the

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pregnancy. Obviously, this information was not actively sought out; it was passively received but it was very powerful information. As soon as the event started, I sought out my doctor. She was able to tell me what was happening with my body, but she could not tell me why it happened. Her answer was that it was a common event and one out of every five women will experience a miscarriage. Her response was an unsatisfying answer and so I took my search for answers elsewhere. I read pregnancy books, medical books, and medical journal articles. I also researched the web and turned mostly to WebMD and the Mayo Clinics websites; however, through a Google search I ran across many discussion boards and personal websites with people who tried to tell what they thought caused miscarriages. This information was very disheartening and caused a great deal of anxiety. After that, I filtered out all of the sources that I considered unreliable or informal. I tried to stick with factual and reputable sources of information. One of the places to which I turned was my best friend. She had miscarried about a year and a half prior; so besides turning to her for comfort, I thought that she could give me some insight about how to handle the emotions and uncertainty that came afterwards. Mostly, all of this was an attempt to understand and make sense out of what did not make sense. This search for information was largely unsuccessful since doctors view one miscarriage as common and even natural. There was not a lot of information available to address my question of why it happened. Since then I have had two additional miscarriages. After the second, my doctor ran a series of tests that all came back normal. She saw no reason for it and did not think there was a problem with a third attempt to conceive. Like the first time, I tried to research on my own but frustratingly did not have a clear idea for what I needed to look. I was not sure what question to ask, so my searches were largely aimless. I did learn that there are hundreds of potential problems that can cause recurrent miscarriages. Many were quite unpleasant to read and I wish I

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had avoided that information. I also applied my new knowledge incorrectly through a series of imagined diseases and self diagnoses that all turned out to be false later. Even though the tests the doctor ran came back normal, something was decidedly abnormal; because four months after the second miscarriage, I had a third. Yet again I went looking for answers where I could, with as little success as before, but this time my doctor sent me to the first specialist that I would see, a reproductive endocrinologist. This process involved more information gathering as I tried to find one within two hours of here we live who would accept our insurance. I spent a great amount of time on the phone with billing and customer care representatives. Once one was found, there were more blood tests, but this time we had results! I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and 4G5G polymorphism of the plasminogen activator 1 gene. Of course, this set off more information seeking. Once I had a diagnosis I then had to figure out how to address the problem in a way that would minimize the negative effects. There is not a cure for either, but there are suppressants, treatments, and lifestyle changes that can be taken. The doctor explained what could be done; then I sought additional clarification from Mayo Clinics website, including information for the prescription drug that she proposed that I start taking. She also mailed me a journal article entitled, Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Activity, 4G5G Polymorphism of the Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 Gene, and First-Trimester Miscarriage in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome by Charles J. Glueck et. al. This article was a passively received bit of information that was very valuable for its ability to explain how the two normally unrelated issues of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and 4G5G polymorphism affect each other. Another priceless piece of information came to me passively as well. Once my pastors wife found out that I had been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, she immediately gave me the contact information of

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a woman who was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome two months before I was. She also told me about a website named PCOSDiva (the PCOS being an acronym for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.) This website is about the syndrome and how to make a lifestyle change that will accommodate the changes that need to be made. The woman has been a good interpersonal source of information as she is going through the same issue, just a couple of months ahead of me. Many information seeking models indicate that seeking can go on indefinitely through feedback loops that represent how acquiring new knowledge can lead to more queries. In the case of my Polycystic Ovary Syndrome this is true; there are more specialists that will be seen on March 7, 2013, and I am sure this visit will set off another series of information seeking. The information behavior described above demonstrates the importance that I place on this particular information need. I do not pursue casual information needs, such as wanting information as a result of curiosity, with the same voracity as my behavior shows here. Finding ways to alleviate uncertainty, understanding underlying problems, and finding ways to meet my information needs are high priorities in high stakes cases, though. When the need is important, I am willing to utilize whatever sources I have at my disposal, from people to Internet resources to academic resources such as journals. In my seeking I am very determined and not easily discouraged from trying to find information to fill any knowledge gaps. No matter how appealing it may seem at times to give up on a search to avoid potential upsetting information, as Abraham Maslow proposes information seekers do to reduce anxiety (Case 117). I tend to overcome that urge to get the information. This information behavior does tend to cause more stress and anxiety in my life as I receive upsetting information at times, but long-term considerations dictate that knowing as much as possible about my query will ultimately reduce stress more than avoidance of information that will leave me wondering and stressed about the

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unknown. As many models and theories related to information seeking and behavior posit, reduction of uncertainty and the anxiety that accompanies uncertainty is a major motivation for information seeking. The above described situation exemplifies Carol Kuhlthaus model of Information Search Process (1991). This model depicts a series of cognitive and affective stages or behaviors through which people are thought to move as they find and evaluate information (Case 145). Much of my information seeking took place in stages as the state of knowledge oscillated back and forth between cluelessness and knowingness. The Information Search Process begins with an Initiation stage. It is at this stage that the soon-to-be information seeker finds that there is a knowledge gap that needs to be rectified. At this time thoughts are vague and there are feelings of uncertainty, so the information seeking begins as a way to fill the gap. In the search to find a cause for the recurrent miscarriages, there were many initiation stages. Some obvious times were when each miscarriage took place. There was uncertainty due to not knowing what the problem was. There was not much information available so while the seeking began, the thoughts and search efforts were mere exercises in casting about for possibilities. Moving into the Selection stage, there was hopefulness each time a potential prognosis was found that fit the signs and symptoms that were experienced. The self-diagnoses was not helpful in the longterm, but it did raise optimism for a short time. The hopefulness was dashed once the Exploration stage was reached. It was at this point that the doctor became a partner in the information seeking process. She ran blood tests to gather medical information. They showed that all of the common causes of recurrent miscarriages, including all the self-diagnoses found in the previous stage, were not the problem in this situation. Confusion, frustration, and doubt set in because this new information, while

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ruling out possibilities, did nothing to tell what the problem was. At this point the process had to restart at a new initiation phase as the search for answers continued the information seeking process. Kuhlthau posits that at this stage that some people would abandon their effort to expand their understanding (Case 146). While in moments of frustration that seemed like a good course, it was never seriously considered in this case due to the personal importance of the information being sought. The process began again, but with the addition of a specialist who was able to launch the search past the exploration stage and into the Formulation stage. In this stage, there are feelings of clarity and thoughts are focused (Kahlthas qtd. in Case 145). Her analysis accurately applies to my situation. Upon the initial consultation, she came up with a likely prognosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which focused further information seeking during the waiting time for test results to confirm the prognosis. In that time a quick shift from the formulation phase to the Collection stage took place as information seeking focused on learning as much as possible about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Information seeking became very focused and narrowed on that one issue. The specialists confidence that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome was the likely problem increased confidence that this information seeking endeavor was finally on the correct path. Searches became more relevant instead of flailing about in search of any answer that might fit. A sense of satisfaction was felt once tests confirmed the initial prognosis and seeking after information about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome could continue. Interest in the subject grew as more information came to light and continues to grow. This, the Presentation stage, was the first time that relief was felt as all uncertainty was eliminated. The final stage, Assessment, has not been attained yet, as the pursuit of knowledge about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome moves forward. However, there is more self-awareness now that the problem is known and a course of action can be taken in the form of lifestyle changes and

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medical intervention. The knowledge gained through this information seeking process has made a deep and permanent change in the seeker. The second model that this information seeking event will be explained in light of is one created by James Krikelas in 1983. In Krikelas model of information seeking behavior is a general model and applies to the everyday needs and seeking of a person. Trying to find and synthesize information about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome was -- and still is -- an ongoing process associated with...ordinary life... (qtd. in Case 141). In his work Krikelas asserted how important uncertainty is as a motivational factor. That is very true in the initial search for answers about the causes of the miscarriages as well as the search for more enlightening information about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome that came about as a result. Krikelas also stressed that other people, particularly those around the information seeker, and ones own memory are valid sources of information. This assertion was also true in the above scenario. After the first miscarriage, I remembered facts that I had learned not only in classes and from information that I had already started reading during the pregnancy, but also from more distant memories of my aunts having miscarriages when I was a child and more recently when my best friend went through the same thing. Those memories, while maybe not authorities on the subject, were informative about some of the emotions felt at the time; the memories showed that the emotions were normal and therefore not unhealthy. The aforementioned friend was also a source of information about the emotional aspects of the situation as well as giving information about things that would come next. While the doctors are good about giving scientific and medical facts, friends give more personal information, such as about feelings, that doctors may not address. Both the memories and information from another person worked to alleviate, to some degree, the emotional aspects of the uncertainty caused by the sudden knowledge gap.

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Krikelas model works on a top-down approach starting with what is called a needcreating event/environment. In this case, the need creating event was the initial miscarriage which was then made more urgent with each successive miscarriage. The need was to find out through information seeking why the pregnancies were not being sustained. The need was immediate and could not be deferred, which are the options in the next step of Krikelas model. In the case of immediate need, Krikelas proposes that the next thing to happen will be that the seeker acts on a source preference, choosing either an internal source or an external source. However, not just one source or even one type of source was used during the time of information seeking and gathering. Both types were desperately sought out and used as the goal was to get as much information as possible in the hopes of getting an answer. Internal sources were, as previously mentioned, memories of other women who had been through the same experience as well as seeking out and talking to a friend about her experience. External sources of information include the medical test results from the two doctors, the doctors themselves, journal articles, pregnancy books, medical websites, and the website and cookbook/exercise guide geared for women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Krikelas model allows for information gathering and information giving. While there was some information giving -- in the form of giving personal medical history, family medical history, and facts surrounding the events to the doctors -- most of what occurred was information gathering. Both models are insightful and allow examination of the same event through different lenses. There is an emphasis on the role of uncertainty -- and the uncomfortableness that results from uncertainty -- in both models. Uncertainty was a large part of the motivation behind so much information seeking and work to arrive at an answer as to why the miscarriages were occurring. The need to understand, reduce uncertainty, and alleviate that stress was

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overwhelming, as the models authors suggest. The Krikelas model is the more simplistic of the two and shows the information behavior in a cold, hard facts kind of way. I did not realize, until taking the events through the Krikelas model, how much information was sought and gathered from internal sources rather than external. Prior to that analysis, I would have said that I tried to go only to sources that are considered, by academic research standards at least, to be objective and reliable sources. This examination of my own information behavior has enabled me to recognize that internal sources are just as valid as external sources. As Krikelas emphasizes, those information sources are important, too. Kuhlthaus model places its emphasis on how the emotional and mental aspects of the information seeker play into information seeking. I never would have claimed that I was unemotional throughout the process of information seeking, but the analysis of my information behavior based on Kuhlthaus model shows how much it affected the searches. My thoughts and feelings were deeply intertwined with the information -- or at times lack thereof -- and greatly influenced the actions I took while information seeking. Going through this model almost felt like I was analyzing stages of grief while analyzing my information behavior. This project was very enlightening. Analyzing this event, by chronologically breaking down the events and then applying them to two information seeking models, has changed the way I view my information seeking behavior as much as the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome has changed the way I view my health and lifestyle. I can no longer claim to be as objective and detached as I once imagined myself to be. In her Sense-Making Theory, Brenda Dervin puts forth the claim that information is not something that exists apart from human behavioral activity (qtd. in Case 189). This claim emphasizes how integral human behavior, particularly information seeking, is to information itself. The information behavior that I exhibited while trying to find the cause of the

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miscarriages and later information about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome has shown me the converse side of that: I see how much my behavior, particularly my information behavior, is directly influenced by the information I receive at any given point in life. Dervins Sense-Making Theory also places a high value on the insights gained by the persons under study (Case 190). Through studying myself, I have gained a great deal of insight about how I view my information behavior. Not only do I have a very clear understanding of the steps and stages I went through with the information seeking in this situation, but I also have a deeper understanding of my overall information seeking methods and behaviors. I can more easily see that information behavior as applied to different contexts and situations such as work and school related information needs. My hope is that by understanding my information behaviors more, I will be able to more competently seek information when needed in the future.

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Work Cited Case, Donald Owen. Looking for Information: a survey of research on information seeking, needs and behavior. 3rd ed. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Pub, 2012. Print.