Noting that the introduction of Videotex into the United States might precipitate significant public policy choices, this paper argues for a systematic assessment of the new technology and presents a methodological framework for dealing with its social impact. It then discusses 12 preliminary public policy concerns: (1) economic barriers to entry,…

In order to discuss the research goals of information science (IS), both its logical and its specific nature must be determined. Peircean logical analysis shows that IS may be classified in three parts: pure science, applied science, and technology. The deficiency in the present state of the art is in the pure science, or theoretical portion, of…

This experiment tested the hypothesis that cognitive change resulting from information inputs can be represented as linear motion of concepts in multidimensional space. The theoretical background is reviewed and the mathematical derivation of the hypothesis is given. A set of fifteen nations was scaled by 64 undergraduate and graduate students in…

The author has collected in this volume his papers and talks over the past 20 years on the subject of information theory. He identifies the underlying thread of his work--the idea that there is a valid analogy between Heisenberg's "Principle of Uncertainty" and certain aspects of information theory. Three of his papers then provide introductory…

The theoretical framework underlying the Total Guidance Information Support System is discussed under the following topics: (1) Review of Literature, (2) A Brief History of Guidance and Counseling, (3) Philosophies of Guidance, (4) Decision-Making in Relation to Guidance, (5) The Origins of Information Theory, (6) Various Uses of Information…

Reported is the result of research on combinatorial and algorithmic techniques for information processing. A method is discussed for obtaining minimum covers of specified cardinality from a given weighted graph. By the indicated method, it is shown that the family of minimum covers of varying cardinality is related to the minimum spanning tree of…

The theories and objectives in the uses of the media available to Social Work Education, currently and in the future, are surveyed in this paper. The theories covered are those which relate to all media in general, but special emphasis is placed on those which have an impact on the theoretical approaches for teaching, experimentation and research.…

An experiment apparatus tested two hypotheses: a) supplementary feedback aids learning when it provides information by which to distinguish long target contacts from short ones; b) supplementary feedback, especially if immediate, facilitates performance by providing secondary reinforcement. Five groups, of 20 subjects each, were given 60 trials,…

This paper illustrates how behavioral models which embody a critical language can be used to describe and predict some categories of classroom events. It defines teaching-learning as a set of events which are mediated primarily by a person, the consequence of which is change in behavior of a second person. A language for describing this phenomenon…

Present day shortcomings in information retrieval are the results of a failure to properly contend with the problem of data representation. The index provides the necessary linkage between a multiplicity of sources and a single receiver. Whether considering the source/document-space interface or the query/index interface, the elements of the…

Search for an integrated, comprehensive theory of information science (IS) has so far been unsuccessful. Appearance of a theory has been retarded by one central constraint, the large number of disciplines concerned with human communication. Crossdisciplinary interdependence occurs in two ways: theoretical relation of IS phenomena to a given…

Drawing on research by the author, this paper analyzes the composition of the interpersonal communication networks (auxiliary channels) which are pervasive in human society. These networks tend to be 1) primary in nature, containing four members from primary relationships and one from a secondary relationship, and 2) reflective of neighborhood and…

The child's development of productive control over the adults language system is seen as an outcome of the dynamic social discourse of parent and child. Traditional approaches to child language are reviewed and a dialectical analysis is developed using concepts from information theory and a general systems approach. (JMB)

Presents the "Evidence-of-Existence" information system in which the structure is developed, with application of cybernetic concepts, as an isomorphic model in analogy to the system structure of communication technology. Three criteria of structuring are postulated: (1) source-channel-sink, with input-output characteristics, (2) filter-type…