An exploration of information-seeking behavior in emergency management

Groups in risky, time-constrained situations may be confronted with problems that cannot be solved by following predefined procedures. This study explores the impact of various factors on group information-seeking behavior in such situations. A simulated experiment in emergency scenarios was conducted with both expert and novice groups with or without decision support tools. The results suggest that, while patterns of information-seeking were similar between experts and novices, experts conducted a more efficient search than novices. Efforts of information-seeking made by group members who play different roles are different between supported and unsupported groups, but both groups look for similar information no matter whether they are provided with decision support or not. The paper concludes with a set of observations on group information-seeking behavior, and discusses the possible impact of information-seeking differences on decision making performance.