The study described in this article investigated how differences in cognitive style and online search experience influence the search performance and navigational pattern of individuals utilizing a university World Wide Web (WWW) site. Forty-eight undergraduate students with diverse academic backgrounds participated in the study. On the basis of cognitive style and prior experience with online database search, the participants were assigned to 1 of the following groups: (a) field-dependent (FD) with little or no online search experience, (b) FD with substantial online search experience, (c) field-independent (FI) with little or no online search experience, and (d) FI with substantial online search experience. It was found that cognitive style influenced search time, whereas online search experience affected navigational style, such as jumps and layer traversal. Cognitive style and online search experience also interacted to influence search performance and navigational style. FDs with little or no online search experience navigated the WWW in a fairly linear mode, using embedded links frequently. They also tended to visit more nodes and used “Home ” more frequently than the rest. The results imply that as FD searchers gain more online search experience, their navigational style and search performance change and become comparable to that of FDs. Based on these findings, some suggestions are made to improve the WWW interface and WWW user training programs. 1.

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This study investigates how users ’ cognitive and affective characteristics influence the navigational and search behaviors on the Web among experienced Web users. Sixty-seven undergraduate students participated in the study. Two standardized tests and a questionnaire were used to collect information on the participants’ cognitive style, problem-solving style, and demographics. Factor analysis was performed on the scores from the two standardized tests (Group Embedded Figures Test and Problem Solving Inventory), and extracted two user factors (Focus Control and Emotion Control). The Focus Control factor seemed to influence users’ navigational behaviors, such as the use of links and back buttons, whereas the Emotion Control factor affected search behaviors including keyword searching, and also search performance measured by precision and recall.