The role of sustained attention and task complexity on adolescents’ information-searching performance

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the role of sustained attention and its interaction with task complexity in shaping high school adolescents’ search performance (satisfaction and success) during web-based information retrieval. The study sample consisted of 90 female students from the tenth and eleventh grades at Shiraz University High School. Data was collected by recording, observing, and analysing user interaction reports on the web, utilising Camtasia version 2023 software. In this study, two search tasks (one simple task and one complex task) were designed for the subjects. The complexity of the search tasks was assessed through three components: information clarity, response dispersion, and cognitive activity. The levels of simplicity and complexity were determined by statistically analysing the scores assigned to the tasks by experts in knowledge and information science. Two methods were employed to evaluate performance, which included measuring both satisfaction and success. Success was determined by the subjects’ ability to correctly answer the tasks, and their responses were scored by three experts in knowledge and information science. To assess satisfaction, participants completed a questionnaire after finishing each task. Additionally, the level of sustained attention was measured using the computerised Continuous Performance Test developed by Rosvold et al. in 1956, which has been validated for reliability in Iran by Hadianfard et al. in 2000. The findings of the study indicated significant differences in the performance (satisfaction and success) of adolescents with varying levels of sustained attention. Specifically, adolescents with high levels of sustained attention demonstrated better performance than those with medium levels, while adolescents with medium levels outperformed those with low levels of sustained attention. Also, the results indicated that the greater the level of attention adolescents exhibited, the better their performance, in terms of satisfaction and success, when completing tasks—both simple and complex. Additionally, across all three groups of adolescents categorised by their levels of sustained attention (high, medium, and low), performance in simple tasks consistently outperformed that in complex tasks. Sustained attention is a crucial cognitive variable that significantly influences users’ search performance. However, past studies have given this aspect less attention, and the specific effects of sustained attention and its interaction with task complexity on adolescents’ search performance have yet to be examined. The findings of this study can inform better strategies, such as enhancing information retrieval systems, improving user interface design, and developing educational approaches to boost search performance among adolescents. By understanding how sustained attention varies among adolescents, information retrieval and user interface design experts can create more effective systems and interfaces tailored to the diverse needs of this user group. Additionally, the results will raise awareness among information science researchers and information literacy educators about the cognitive factors that impact adolescents’ web search performance, enabling them to devise targeted measures for improvement.