Criteria used by research and development engineers in the selection of an information source

Abstract

INVESTIGATED THE CRITERIA EMPLOYED BY ENGINEERS IN THE SELECTION OF VARIOUS TECHNICAL INFORMATION CHANNELS IN PROBLEM-SOLVING ENDEAVORS. FOCUSES ON THE RELATIONSHIPS OF CERTAIN CRITERIA IDENTIFIED IN PAST RESEARCH TO SUCH FACTORS AS FREQUENCY OF CHANNEL UTILIZATION AND THE RATE AT WHICH ENGINEERS ACCEPT OR REJECT TECHNICAL INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM SPECIFIC CHANNELS. A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP IS FOUND BETWEEN PERCEIVED ACCESSIBILITY OF INFORMATION CHANNELS AND SEVERAL OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF UTILIZATION, WHEREAS NO DEFINITE SUPPORT IS FOUND FOR THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE CHANNELS PERCEIVED HIGHEST IN TECHNICAL QUALITY ARE THOSE USED MOST FREQUENTLY. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)