A Rational Model of the Effect of Information Scent on the Exploration of Menus

This paper describes a computational model based on rational analysis which is compared to experimental data and enables us to explain the number and order of assessments that participants make on the items on a web-page. The model provides both a good fit to the scan paths of the participants and an explanation for why a particular item is chosen. The strength of this research is that it provides a qualitative account of why particular patterns of scent result in particular scan patterns. The research provides further support for the rational framework as an explanation of exploratory behaviour.