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Journal of Business Communication, Vol. 42, No. 1, 51-77 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0021943604272028
© 2005 Association for Business Communication

Personality and Information Seeking

Understanding How Traits Influence Information-Seeking Behaviors

Michael Tidwell

Truman State University

Patricia Sias

Washington State University

Organizational newcomers go through various socialization processes before becoming organizational veterans. Information seeking (a self-socialization process) involves newcomers’ proactively seeking new information, most times to reduce uncertainty. This study assessed how personality traits, specifically, Costa and McCrae’s Big Five, affect this process. Multiple regression analyses indicate that certain traits influence information seeking directly and via the mediation of social costs. Of particular note are the results surrounding extroversion. Specifically, the data suggest a direct relationship between extroversion and covert relational information seeking, whereas perceived relational social costs also mediate this relationship. Several important extensions to the literature are discussed herein.

Key Words: information seeking • personality • Big Five • socialization • acculturation


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