The relationship between temperamental traits and the level of performance of an eye-hand co-ordination task in jet pilots

Int J Occup Saf Ergon. 2008;14(4):423-32. doi: 10.1080/10803548.2008.11076780.

Abstract

When assessing the psychological suitability for the profession of a pilot, it is important to consider personality traits and psychomotor abilities. Our study aimed at estimating the role of temperamental traits as components of pilots' personality in eye-hand co-ordination. The assumption was that differences in the escalation of the level of temperamental traits, as measured with the Formal Characteristic of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), will significantly influence eye-hand co-ordination. At the level of general scores, enhanced briskness proved to be the most important trait for eye-hand co-ordination. An analysis of partial scores additionally underlined the importance of sensory sensitivity, endurance and activity. The application of eye-hand co-ordination tasks, which involve energetic and temporal dimensions of performance, helped to disclose the role of biologically-based personality traits in psychomotor performance. The implication of these findings for selecting pilots is discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Aviation*
  • Humans
  • Personality*
  • Poland
  • Psychology, Military*
  • Psychomotor Performance*