Modeling Individual Differences in Information Search

A number of cognitive processes are involved in the process of information search on the Internet: memory, attention, comprehension, problem solving, executive control and decision making. Several cognitive factors such as aging-related cognitive abilities, domain knowledge, spatial ability and need for cognition, etc. in turn influence either positively or negatively these cognitive processes. Traditional click models from information retrieval community that predict user clicks do not fully take into account the effect of the above cognitive factors. We propose to exploit the capabilities of computational cognitive models to simulate the effects of cognitive factors on information search behavior. In this direction, we present some ideas how to incorporate these factors into a computational cognitive model called CoLiDeS+. Preliminary analysis of our ideas on modeling and predicting individual differences in information search due to age and domain knowledge show promising outcomes.