Relations of Personality Traits to Military Aviator Performance

Abstract

Abstract. Most research on cognitive and personality characteristics needed for effective military aircrew has focused on identifying measures that predict initial training outcomes ( Carretta & Ree, 2003 ). While many of the same cognitive aptitudes predictive of military pilot training outcomes are likely to also predict on-the-job technical performance, the strict technical focus of training may make it difficult to fully evaluate the relations of personality to broader job performance criteria. This study evaluated the extent to which pre-accession personality measures were predictive of the stratification (i.e., ranking based on job performance) of early-career US Air Force aviators on Officer Performance Reports in assignments after initial training. Supervisor and senior rater stratifications of aviators on overall job performance were significantly related to pre-accession personality scores. For both pilots and navigators whose job performance was ranked, higher levels of Extraversion and Agreeableness were associated with more favorable supervisory performance rankings (uncorrected r values = .20–.28).