The Effects of Type and Level of Personal Involvement on Information Search and Problem Solving¹

Abstract

The effects of type and level of personal involvement on information search and problem solving were investigated in a laboratory setting. Participants were given a problem eliciting high value involvement, high outcome involvement, or low involvement. Before providing a solution to the problem, participants had the opportunity to search for additional information about the problem using a computer. The amount of information searched and the time spent searching were measured, as was the quality of problem solutions. Results showed that increases in information search resulted in more original and more appropriate problem solutions. Results also revealed that solution originality and appropriateness were highest among participants who were involved because the problem's outcome was relevant to them and lowest among participants who were involved because the problem affected their values and morals. The results of this study indicate that high involvement may not be universally beneficial to the generation of high-quality problem solutions.

Responding Destructively in Leadership Situations: The Role of Personal Values and Problem Construction

“…The potential mediating effect of problem construction between values and destructive problem solving also needs further exploration. Illies and Reiter-Palmon (2004) revealed that problems that activate powerful values in participants could have a closed-minded effect, decreasing the quality of solutions generated to those problems. However, we still do not know exactly why, how, or where this effect occurs and if it plays a specific role in destructive problem solving.…”

Mobile collaborative learning: The role of individual learning in groups through text and video content delivery in tablets

“…This prevents individual learners' sense of detachment, while maintaining their focus on the learning facets of the experience (Illies & Reiter-Palmon, 2004). Therefore, a group learning process can serve as a mechanism that enables absorbed individuals to channel their high levels of cognitive energy into an effective learning experience.…”

A New Integrated Model for Multitasking during Web Searching

“…(Humphreys MS, Revelle W. 1984). Illies and Palmon (2004) however, found that when people search and find information, which may confront their values, then motivation tend to be a negative predictor of the information seeking performance. • People having good flow, defined as "a balance state between '"skill"' and '"challenge"' (Csikszentmihalyi M. 1990) with characteristics such as : clear goal, feedback, concentration, focus, control, loss of selfconsciousness, transformation of time, and autotelic nature (Csikszentmihalyi M. 1997), aids performance.…”