CKE master thesis project

 

Title:

 

Task Demands and Memory in Web Interaction

Aim:

 

To explore the effects of different web tasks (locating a link, finding specific facts or dispersed information in a web site) on information retrieval performance and memory in web interaction.

 

Project description

 

While looking for information in a web site, web elements that are processed differently acquire different statuses in memory (Oulasvirta, 2004; Oulasvirta et al., 2005). According to the “levels of processing” theory (Craik and Lockhart, 1972; Lockhart, 2002) memory for web elements that are deeply processed should be better.

 

The way information is processed and remembered depends on the task demands. Content-oriented tasks (i.e. finding information about a topic) demand deeper processing than navigation orientation tasks (i.e. finding a link). In this project we propose to explore this issue by measuring memory and task performance as a function of the level of processing imposed by the tasks (locating a link, finding specific facts or dispersed information in a web site). Furthermore, the dual task paradigm will be used in order to measure the levels of processing for the different web tasks used.

 

Requirements:

 

Interest in Experimental Research, Web Design and UsabilityBackground knowledge: Usability Engineering and Human-Computer Interaction, statistical courses as WOM and ARM.

Supervisor:

 

Mari Carmen Puerta Melguizo (puerta@cs.uu.nl)

Intern/extern:

 

Preferably 2 students

Startdatum:

 

as soon as possible

 

Literatuur:

Craik, F.I.M. & Lockhart, R.S., (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11, 671–684.

 

Lockhart, R.S., (2002). Levels of processing, transfer-appropriate processing, and the concept of robust encoding. Memory, 10, 397–403.

 

Oulasvirta, A. (2004). Task demands and memory in web interaction: A levels of processing approach. Interacting with Computers, 16, 217-241.

 

Oulasvirta, A., Kärkkäinen, L., & Laarni, J. (2005). Expectations and memory in link search. Computers in Human Behavior, 21 (5), 773-789.