Behaviorism in Information Science

Behaviorism is a movement in psychology, philosophy and other social and human sciences. See Epistemological Lifeboat for the general characteristics of and literature on behaviorism.

There is not much research in Library and Information Science, which adopts an explicit behaviorist framework. That is not an indication that behaviorism has not been influential here too.  

Wilson (2005, p. 32) writes: ". . . the term ''information-seeking behavior" should be adapted as behavior is observable, whereas needs being internal mental states, are not". This is a very clear behaviorist statement.

The term "information behavior" is in itself (like "behavioral sciences") a survival from the heydays of behaviorism. To say that you study behavior is indirectly to say that you consider peoples behavior to be mechanical responses to physical stimuli. Traditions that do not share this mechanical view of human beings speak about acts, acting and activity (which are meaningful, not mechanical processes). Thus, LIS is deeply infiltrated by behavioral philosophy.

In a session titled "Debating Different Approaches to Studying the Organization of Information" on the ASIS 56th Annual Meeting October 27., 1993 (quoted from the conference programme, p. 22), Nicholas Belkin from Rutgers University stated: "The Behavioral Paradigm: the best method for studying how information should be organized is to observe how people interact with potential sources".

Literature:

Wilson, T. D. (2005). Evolution in Information Behavior Modeling. Wilson's model. IN: Fisher, K. E., Erdelez, S. & McKechnie, L. (eds.). Theories of information behavior. Medford, NJ: Information Today. (Pp. 31-36).

See also: Information science, theory of

Birger Hjørland

Last edited: 27-02-2006

Home