FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-65/21

Title and Subtitle: Problems in air traffic management: VI. Interaction of training-entry age with intellectual and personality characteristics of air traffic control specialists.

Report Date: July 1965

Authors: Trites DK.

Abstract: Over 900 Enroute and Terminal Air Traffic Controller Specialist (ATCS) trainees were administered a large number of aptitude and personality tests. Examination of the relationships between the performance scores and age at entry into training revealed that:

1. older trainees had lower test scores than the younger trainees on tests of immediate memory and nonverbal abstract reasoning;
2. older trainees had higher test scores than younger trainees on tests of arithmetic and verbal ability;
3. in highly speeded aptitude tests, the type of test (e.g., arithmetic, spatial, vocabulary, etc.) apparently determined whether the older or younger trainees would have the higher scores; and
4. in the personality area, older trainees were more intellectually efficient, responsible, tolerant, etc., than their younger classmates.

It was concluded that the higher failure rate in the training of older individuals could be partially accounted for by age-related deficiencies in non-verbal abstract reasoning, by immediate memory for new and different material, and by the requirements to perform their job tasks rapidly and accurately.

Key Words: air traffic, management planning and control, air traffic controllers, psychological tests, aging (physiology), aptitude tests, personality, students, education, intelligence tests, memory (psychology), performance (human), word association.

No. of Pages: 16