Can Contextualization Increase Understanding During Man-Machine Communication? A Theory-Driven Study
L.L Alpay*, 1, J Verhoef1, 2, D Te’eni3, H Putter4, P.J Toussaint5, J.H.M Zwetsloot-Schonk1
1 Clinical Informatics Group, Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
2 Department of Physical Therapy, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands
3 Faculty of Management Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
4 Medical Statistics Group, Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
5 Department of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
Abstract
The Internet offers unlimited possibilities for finding health information. However, the user is often faced with the problem of understanding it. Contextualization has a role to play in enhancing the user’s comprehension. We report on a study which addresses this issue, using a theoretical model of communication whose central theme is that of context. A randomized controlled experimental design was chosen, using as a test-bed the website SeniorGezond we had previously developed. The study was composed of a pre-test, the intervention with the website and a post-test. Participants (n=40) were randomly assigned to exposure or no exposure to contextualization with the website. Results show that contextualization increases understanding for non-knowledgeable users. Furthermore, the participant’s cognitive style was found to be a significant factor on understanding. We also found that participants bring their own contexts such as social context and psychological context to support their understanding.
Keywords: Internet, communication, consumer health information, contextualization of information, information retrieval.
Article Information
Article History:
Received Date: 20/2/2008
Revision Received Date: 27/3/2008
Acceptance Date: 18/4/2008
Electronic publication date: 22/5/2008
Collection year: 2008
© Alpay et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/), which permits unrestrictive use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
* Address correspondence to this author at the Clinical Informatics Group, Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden, The Netherlands; E-mail: l.l.alpay@lumc.nl
Open Peer Review Details |
Manuscript submitted on 20-2-2008 |
Original Manuscript |
Can Contextualization Increase Understanding During Man-Machine Communication? A Theory-Driven Study |