Topic:       Big Five Personality and Information Behavior

Date :        13:20～15:00  Wednesday 16 Dec. 2015

Place :       105 Delta Building

Abstract :

The college years represent a time of transition for students as they enter a new learning environment. 

Learning how to utilize information sources effectively is one of the important factors to their success in 

college. Studies also suggest that personal characteristics play a crucial role in such adjustment. This talk 

will introduce the concepts of personality traits and information behavior, and then address two research 

on big five personality traits and information behavior. Through two surveys with college students, I 

explore how personality traits could affect individual’s information behavior. In one study, a two-step 

cluster analysis was used to identify three subgroups of personality profiles from the sample. In the other, 

t-tests and ANOVA were used to examine personality differences in various types of social media use. 

Results of the two studies will be presented in the talk. Suggestions for future research will also be 

discussed.

Bio :

Tien-I Tsai is an Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science at National Taiwan University. She

received her B.A. in History and M.A. in Library and Information Science (LIS) from National Taiwan 

University, and holds a Ph.D. degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of 

Wisconsin—Madison. Her main research interest is in information behavior. The ultimate goal of her 

research is to improve information access for individuals with diverse backgrounds in terms of their 

ethnicities, personality traits, socio-economic statuses, and information literacy levels. She has been 

publishing in various SSCI journals in LIS (e.g., College & Research Libraries, Journal of Academic 

Librarianship) and is an honorary member of the Beta Phi Mu International Library Science Honor Society. 

More information about her can be found at https://tienitsai.wordpress.com/.

All faculty and students are welcome to join the lecture