Effect of Competitive and Cooperative Learning Contexts in Controversial Information Search: Preliminary Results

Context. Information and Communication Technologies (e.g., search engines, AI) disseminate a large volume of information, the quality of which can vary, particularly when the search topics are controversial. To manage both the quantity and quality of the information they process, users must adopt effective search strategies while maintaining epistemic vigilance. Objectives. This study examines the effects of the learning context (cooperation vs. competition) on search strategies (exploration-exploitation), online epistemic vigilance, as well as knowledge gain and attitude change regarding the controversial topic of animal protein consumption (meat, milk, eggs). Method. Forty-seven participants have currently taken part in the study, with data collection still ongoing. Twenty-six participants were assigned to the competition condition (preparing a debate), and twenty-one to the cooperation condition (preparing a discussion). All participants had 20 min to search for information to prepare for their respective exchanges. Results. The main findings show that a cooperative context leads users to pursue mastery goals, prompting them to adopt deeper content exploitation strategies and acquire more knowledge by the end of the search compared to individuals in a competitive context. Those in the competitive context tend to explore more, learn more superficially, pursue performance goals, and more frequently re-exploit the same content in their queries to find arguments that corroborate their viewpoint. Surprisingly, competitors still shift their attitudes toward animal suffering following the information search, whereas cooperators tend to polarize their initial attitudes on this issue. Conclusion. This study has implications for the domain of traditional ICTs and generative AI as persuasive technologies.