Relationships between personality traits, physical proficiency, and cadet effectiveness reports of Air Force Academy cadets

Author / Creator

Tupes, Ernest C., 1915-1974, author

Available as

Online

Summary

Cadets in 3 Air Force Academy classes rated each other on 20 personality traits as well as on physical ability and officer potential. For two of the classes objective measures of physical proficien...

Cadets in 3 Air Force Academy classes rated each other on 20 personality traits as well as on physical ability and officer potential. For two of the classes objective measures of physical proficiency were also available. Intercorrelation matrices within each class were analyzed to determine relationships between personality trait ratings and Cadet Effectiveness Ratings, and to determine the factor structure underlying the ratings. Traits such as responsibility, perseverance, good adjustment, poise, social polish, and social intelligence were most highly related to CERs, while traits of surgency or extroversion such as talkativeness, frankness, adventurousness and sociability bore little or no relationships to CERs. The major portion of individual differences in CERs are related to these personality trait ratings. When compared with OCS candidates and majors attending Command and Staff School, the Academy cadets were found to differ little from these groups in the pattern of the personality trait versus CER relationships. Five personality trait ratings were identified which correspond closely to the five (Surgency, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Culture) found in other analyses. A sixth factor was identified as physical ability.

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