Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of students need for cognition (NFC) on their information seeking behavior (ISB). Design/methodology/approach – Out of 19,965 students enrolled in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, during the academic year of 2010-2011, 364 students were selected as the study sample. They were asked to complete the “need for cognition scale” and the “information seeking behavior questionnaire”. Findings – Students NFC affected their ISB. The students ISB was significantly different based on their NFC levels. It has been concluded that NFC is an important cognitive factor in directing ISB. Originality/value – This study makes a contribution toward enriching knowledge on psychological traits embedded in information seeking behavior. Such studies are beneficial to library and information science researchers as well as librarians and system designers.

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