Within-person analysis of information seeking: The effects of perceived costs and benefits

This study focused on how perceived costs and benefits affect information seeking across multiple types and sour ces of information. This focus required a within-person approach to data collection and analysis. Respondents were 282 early-career engineers. The results demonstrate that individuals selectively seek different types of information, and utilize different sources, based on assessments of corresponding costs ann benefits. Results provide insight into individual's decisions about what information to seek and from whom, and highlight the value of studying within-person patterns of information seeking. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.