Library and Information Science

This paper discusses the problems of information processing behavior in human indexing processes, which consist of two parts; 1. a process of recognizing of indexable concepts. 2. a process of transforming of indexable concepts into a set of descriptors.

In above each process, the problem as to what kind of information processing occurs in the human indexer's brain has not been reserched. What is known as, cognitive science is being usual taken as a new approach to this problem. Based on this approach, human indexing process is regarded as an information processing system.

An experiment on two subjects who have had experience as an indexer was conducted, protocol analysis method. The following conclusions have been reached from the results of the experiment. 1. In the recognition process, the subject's interpretation of an abstract is affected by the structure and the level of specification of the abstract. 2. In the transformation process, more complicated information processing is carried out than that required in procedures described in indexing manuals.