Four hundred eight female users of cosmetics in Madison, Wisconsin, responded to questionnaires which sought to discover correlations among the goal of the purchaser and the type and source of information sought in the buying decision. Two goals were identified: rational (cost, functional benefits of product, or possible undesirable consequences from use of the product) and social (conformity to perceived expectations of others). Users who have specific goals seek evaluative information of one sort or another. For instance, those who have social goals tend to depend on others' opinions for information and are apt to rely on the mass media. Consumers with economic goals are apt to prefer print advertisements, and those who perceive performance risk are likely to view salespeople as important information sources. The more important the buying situation is perceived to be by the consumer, the more apt she is to take the initiative to seek information and to evaluate alternatives. (TJ)