The evolution of information-seeking processes, driven by search engines like Google, has transformed the access to information people have. This paper investigates how individuals' preexisting attitudes influence the modern information-seeking process, specifically the results presented by Google Search. Through a comprehensive study involving surveys and information-seeking tasks focusing on the topic of abortion, the paper provides four crucial insights: 1) Individuals with opposing attitudes on abortion receive different search results. 2) Individuals express their beliefs in their choice of vocabulary used in formulating the search queries, shaping the outcome of the search. 3) Additionally, the user's search history contributes to divergent results among those with opposing attitudes. 4) Google Search engine reinforces preexisting beliefs in search results. Overall, this study provides insights into the interplay between human biases and algorithmic processes, highlighting the potential for information polarization in modern information-seeking processes.

翻译：信息寻求过程的演变（由谷歌等搜索引擎驱动）已经改变了人们获取信息的方式。本文研究了个体已有的态度如何影响现代信息寻求过程，特别是谷歌搜索呈现的结果。通过一项涵盖调查和信息寻求任务（聚焦于堕胎话题）的综合性研究，本文提供了四项关键发现：1) 对堕胎持对立态度的个体获得了不同的搜索结果；2) 个体在构建搜索查询时通过词汇选择表达自身信念，从而塑造了搜索结果的呈现；3) 此外，用户的搜索历史导致了持对立态度者之间的结果差异；4) 谷歌搜索引擎在搜索结果中强化了已有的信念。总体而言，本研究揭示了人类偏见与算法过程之间的相互作用，突显了现代信息寻求过程中信息极化的潜在可能性。