Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-70/14
Title and Subtitle: Performance ratings and personality factors in radar controllers
Report Date: September 1970
Authors: Karson S, O'Dell JW
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether primary or second-order personality questionnaire factors were related to job performance ratings on the Employee Appraisal Record in a sample of 264 radar controllers. A Pearson correlation matrix was computed based on 19 variables which included EAR part II and part IV, a motivational distortion score and the primary factors measured by the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire.
A principal axis factor analysis was completed with varimax rotation which yielded eight second-order factors which were identified as follows: I. Anxiety-versus-Dynamic Integration; II. Subduedness-versus-Independence; III. Criterion; IV. Cortertia-versus-Pathemia; V. Exvia-versus-Invia; VI. Intelligence; VII. Obsessive-Compulsive; VIII. Rebelliousness. While all of these second-order factors have been identified previously, the criterion variables were not related to any of the personality measures.
Key Words: Air traffic controllers, Personality, Psychological tests, Factor analysis, Psychology
No. of Pages: 8
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-70/14
Title and Subtitle: Performance ratings and personality factors in radar controllers
Report Date: September 1970
Authors: Karson S, O'Dell JW
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine whether primary or second-order personality questionnaire factors were related to job performance ratings on the Employee Appraisal Record in a sample of 264 radar controllers. A Pearson correlation matrix was computed based on 19 variables which included EAR part II and part IV, a motivational distortion score and the primary factors measured by the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire.
A principal axis factor analysis was completed with varimax rotation which yielded eight second-order factors which were identified as follows: I. Anxiety-versus-Dynamic Integration; II. Subduedness-versus-Independence; III. Criterion; IV. Cortertia-versus-Pathemia; V. Exvia-versus-Invia; VI. Intelligence; VII. Obsessive-Compulsive; VIII. Rebelliousness. While all of these second-order factors have been identified previously, the criterion variables were not related to any of the personality measures.
Key Words: Air traffic controllers, Personality, Psychological tests, Factor analysis, Psychology
No. of Pages: 8
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012