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An experimental evaluation of personality type and selected psychometric factors as predictors of performance and heuristic development for a resource scheduling task
Abstract
Interface design parameters which could be used as measures of behavioral, cognitive and attitudinal characteristics of system users as they relate to overall performance and rule forming behavior are not well studied and may prove important if measures for these attributes can be articulated. This study reports the results of an evaluation of personality type and psychometric factors as candidate measures of these user characteristics. Twenty subjects (10 novices and 10 experts) completed interactive scheduling tasks with two levels of task complexity. The subjects were administered a form of the MBPI and seven factor-referenced psychometric tests chosen to be representative of human information processing limitations. The tasks involved navigation through ten action alternatives, with each alternative being represented by an output screen. Cognitive time, total number of screen selections, total number of assignments, the distributions of screen times, and two metrics for heuristic development were the dependent variables. Two-way ANOVA determined significant effects due to task complexity, but experience in the task was not found to have a significant effect on overall performance or heuristic development. Factor analysis of the original data produced seven factors which explained 87% of the variation in the original independent data set. Stepwise regression with the derived factors indicated the personality characteristic for sensing/knowing was significant (PR $<$ 0.05) in predicting overall performance, as were psychometric factors for induction, integrative processing, and spatial scanning. The personality trait of extrovert/introvert was found to be very highly significant (PR $<$ 0.0001) in predicting the distribution of screen use times, as were derived factors for locus of control, memory ability, and personality. Specific derived factors were significant in predicting the percentage of use of some types of output screens. Although personality characteristics were found not to be significant in predicting heuristic development, psychometric factors for memory, logical reasoning, and induction characteristics were significant in predicting this behavior.
Subject Area
Industrial engineering|Occupational psychology|Personality
Recommended Citation
Carpenter, Raymond Allen, "An experimental evaluation of personality type and selected psychometric factors as predictors of performance and heuristic development for a resource scheduling task" (1989). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9022988.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9022988