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A -Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Multitasking is on the rise, both at work and at home. As such, researchers have begun to focus attention on understanding and predicting multitasking performance. Though past research has demonstrated that cognitive predictors correlate positively with multitasking performance, there is reason to believe that non-cognitive factors are likely to predict such performance as well. This study tested for relationships between extraversion, neuroticism, Type A Behavior Pattern, polychronicity, and multitasking performance. Results supported the hypothesis that neuroticism, but not the other personality characteristics measured, significantly predicts performance at multitasking, and that this relationship is mediated by state anxiety experienced during multitasking. Implications for the impact of personality and anxiety on multitasking performance are ForewordThough selection and classification in the U.S. Navy has traditionally been driven by the recruitment interview and scores from the ASVAB, important facets of performance within Navy jobs may be better understood and predicted by a broader range of predictors. Whole Person Assessment (WPA) is an effort on the part of Navy Personnel Research, Studies, and Technology (NPRST/BUPERS-1) to improve the selection and classification of Sailors within the U.S. Navy by developing tools to assess a broader range of characteristics in order to reflect this reality.Within this context, this study discusses a particular facet of Sailor performance that may not be predicted well by traditional selection instruments, yet is on the rise due to the increasing complexity of the work environment: multitasking. Multitasking is characterized by the switching of attention between multiple tasks rather than the completion of a single task at a time. Though past research has established that cognitive ability is related to multitasking, the present study sought to investigate whether non-cognitive (e.g., personality) characteristics were related to performance in a multitasking simulation.This study investigated multitasking performance in a sample of university students who engaged in a computerized multitasking simulation. Results of this study indicated that neuroticism, a personality characteristic associated with the enduring tendency to experience negative emotional states, was negatively associated with performance at multitasking. Further, results indicated that this relationship was mediated by state anxiety experienced during the multitasking simulation. As state anxiety increased, multitasking performance decreased. These findings indicate that neuroticism may be a useful predictor of performance at multitasking because of its relationship with anxiety experienced during multitasking. Though preliminary in nature, these results may also provide some evidence for the utility of non-cognitive predictors of multitasking performance. This study is a product of the overarching SYRUS project, which has generated a series of...