Use of Personality Assessment Measures in the Selection of Air Traffic Control Specialists

Three studies illustrated the uses of personality assessment methods for selection of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control specialists (ATCSs). Study 1, using a select-out approach to the problems of screen, compared the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) results with NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) results from 122 student ATCS participants. Results suggest that the current approach to personality assessment during the initial medical examination focuses primarily on the extent to which the applicant reports symptoms consistent with neurotic, inefficient, and perhaps argumentative characteristics. The remaining two studies consider select-in strategies looking at the psychometric issues of reliability, specificity, and validity. Study 2 examined the NEO PI-R along with the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ) subtests of the Air Traffic-Selection and Training (AT-SAT) battery scores. Prepared in collaboration with Univ. of Northern Colorado, Dept. of Psychology, Greeley, CO.