Is There a Correlation Between Extroversion Personality Characteristics of Medical Students and Awareness of Works of Art?

Aim: In this study, we aimed to assess the relation between extroversion personality characteristics and awareness of works of art among a group of university students. Materials and Methods: One hundred thirty-five phase II students of the Medical Faculty of Hacettepe University registered in the 2005-2006 academic year participated in this descriptive study. In order to assess extroversion personality characteristics, Eysenck Extroversion Personality Scale was used. For determining awareness of works of art on the campus, researchers photographed selected works of arts and presented them for evaluation by the participants in a questionnaire. Four categories were determined as follows: category A: artistic products with the least probability of being recognized; category B: products with low probability of being recognized; category C: products with intermediate probability of being recognized; and category D: products with the highest probability of being recognized. Results: 59.3% of the participants in this study were male and 40.7% female students. Twelve works of art in total were presented to the students in the study. Students knew the correct location of a mean number of 6.3 ± 2.3 works of art. The mean extroversion score of the participants was 13.7 ± 4.3. Those scoring ´´14 or mor´´ points from the extroversion scale were described as ´´more extrovert´´. Conclusions: The personality trait of extroversion might be one of the positive influences on the participants´ awareness of works of art. Further studies in order to evaluate and increase the awareness of the students about works of art may be appropriate.