Text editing task difficulty and user access of online and printed information

The authors conducted an experiment to see when computer users are willing to consult online and printed information. The results were not encouraging about users reading either printed or online information: almost without exception, they preferred to solve problems with trial and error. One unexpected result was that more experienced users tended not to refer to the manuals, even in the most difficult of tasks. Thus, one might conjecture that these users may be internally guided learners. Or, perhaps through previous experience, they found more success in experimentation than in referring to manuals