Information access systems are getting complex, and our understanding of user behavior during information seeking processes is mainly drawn from qualitative methods, such as observational studies or surveys. Leveraging the advances in sensing technologies, our study aims to characterize user behaviors with physiological signals, particularly in relation to cognitive load, affective arousal, and valence. We conduct a controlled lab study with 26 participants, and collect data including Electrodermal Activities, Photoplethysmogram, Electroencephalogram, and Pupillary Responses. This study examines informational search with four stages: the realization of Information Need (IN), Query Formulation (QF), Query Submission (QS), and Relevance Judgment (RJ). We also include different interaction modalities to represent modern systems, e.g., QS by text-typing or verbalizing, and RJ with text or audio information. We analyze the physiological signals across these stages and report outcomes of pairwise non-parametric repeated-measure statistical tests. The results show that participants experience significantly higher cognitive loads at IN with a subtle increase in alertness, while QF requires higher attention. QS involves demanding cognitive loads than QF. Affective responses are more pronounced at RJ than QS or IN, suggesting greater interest and engagement as knowledge gaps are resolved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that explores user behaviors in a search process employing a more nuanced quantitative analysis of physiological signals. Our findings offer valuable insights into user behavior and emotional responses in information seeking processes. We believe our proposed methodology can inform the characterization of more complex processes, such as conversational information seeking.

翻译：摘要：信息访问系统日益复杂，当前对用户信息检索过程中行为的理解主要来源于观察研究或调查问卷等定性方法。本研究借助传感技术的进步，旨在通过生理信号表征用户行为，特别关注认知负荷、情感唤起度与效价维度。我们开展了一项包含26名受试者的受控实验室研究，采集了皮肤电活动、光电容积描记图、脑电图和瞳孔反应数据。本研究将信息检索划分为四个阶段：信息需求认知、查询构建、查询提交和相关性判断。同时引入了代表现代系统的不同交互模态，例如通过文本输入或语音表达进行查询提交，以及通过文本或音频信息进行相关性判断。我们分析了这些阶段的生理信号，并报告了配对非参数重复测量统计检验的结果。研究表明，受试者在信息需求认知阶段经历了显著更高的认知负荷，警觉性略有提升，而查询构建阶段需要更高的注意力水平。查询提交阶段相比查询构建阶段涉及更大的认知负荷。相关性判断阶段的情感反应比查询提交或信息需求认知阶段更为显著，表明随着知识缺口被填补，用户表现出更强的兴趣与参与度。据我们所知，这是首项采用精细生理信号定量分析探究搜索过程中用户行为的研究。我们的发现为理解信息检索过程中的用户行为与情感反应提供了宝贵见解，并相信所提出的方法论可适用于更复杂过程（如对话式信息检索）的表征研究。