Browsing by Author "Pritom Kumar, Das"

Many researchers use dwell time, a measure of engagement with information, as a universal measure of importance in judging the relevance and usefulness of information. However, it may not fully account for individual cognitive variations. This study investigates how individual differences in cognitive abilities, specifically working memory and processing speed, can significantly impact dwell time. We examined the browsing behavior of 20 individuals engaged in information-intensive tasks, measuring their cognitive abilities, tracking their web page visits, and asses their perceived relevance and usefulness of the information encountered. Our findings shows a clear connection between working memory, processing speed, and dwell time. Based on this finding, we developed a model that combines both cognitive abilities and dwell time to predict the relevance and usefulness of web pages. Interestingly, our analysis reveals that cognitive abilities, particularly fluid intelligence, significantly influence dwell time. This highlights the importance of incorporating individual cognitive differences into prediction models to improve their accuracy. Thus, personalized services that set dwell time thresholds based on individual users' cognitive abilities could provide more accurate estimations of what users find relevant and useful.