Big Five Factors of Personality, Impulsivity and Response Inhibition in Aviation Employees

Abstract

Background and aim: Working in critical industries including aviation, requires employees to think accurate and fast and to be responsive in conditions of uncertainty. Impulsive and risky behaviors are mostly occured with little thought and in an immature manner leading to response inhibition difficulties. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between personality and impulsivity with response inhibition among aviation employees. Method: In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study, 55 participants were recruited through stratified random sampling method to complete the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) and the BIS-11 self-report questionnaire. In addition, participants completed of the Stop Signal Task (SST), which is a computerized test measuring an individual's ability to inhibit a prepared response. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software version 20. Results: The SST proportion of successful stops was between 0.5 and 0.86. The SST mean correct reaction time (RT) on go trials was 804 milliseconds. There was an inverse and statistically significant relationship between age and cognitive impulsivity (p=-0.285*, r=0.042). A statistically significant correlation was found between the trait of neuroticism and the score of total impulsivity. In terms of personality traits, aviation employees tend to be extroverted, relatively compatible, relatively agreeable, and relatively responsible and conscientious. The results showed that a higher score in extroversion and openness to experience is associated with a lower SSRT. Conclusion:Increasing age can be considered as a protective factor in cognitive impulsivity. There was a trade-off between reaction time and the number of successful inhibitions.