Anurag.Acharya@CENTRO.SOAR.CS.CMU.EDU (03/31/88)
UNDERSTAND SEMINAR Tuesday, April 5, 1988 12:00 - 1:20 Adamson Wing, Baker Hall Knowing What vs. Where: A Comparison of Spatial and Symbolic Reference Susan Dumais, Bellcore email: std@bellcore.com The traditional name-based approach to storing and retrieving information in computers in now being supplemented on some systems by a spatial alternative - often driven by an office or desktop metaphor. These systems attempt to take advantage of the important role that location plays in retrieving objects in the real world (i.e. we must know where things are in order to retrieve them). Several experiments examined the usefulness of location-based and name-based methods for representing, organizing and retrieving information in computerized databases. Accuracy of location reference in a Location-only condition was initially comparable to that in a Name-only condition, but declined much more rapidly with increases in the number of objects and delay between initial storage and subsequent retrieval. Adding Location to Name information did not substantially improve retrieval accuracy. These results call into question the generality of spatial metaphors for information retrieval applications. -------