Moderating effect of ear preference on personality in the prediction of sales performance

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between ear preference, personality, and performance ratings on 203 telesales staff. Social desirability scores were a significant predictor of two relatively independent sets of supervisor ratings (actual performance and developmental potential) in interaction with ear preference. It was found that the social desirability scale was a significant positive predictor for staff preferring a right ear headset, but a negative predictor for staff preferring a left ear headset. These results were interpreted in terms of different strategies used to achieve successful sales.

How preferred ear for listening moderates emotional cognitions in the prediction of personality

“…This finding supports the idea that attractiveness is not a cognition related to Psychoticism. The lack of effect when using hand and eye preference is in line with previous findings that suggest aural preference is the important moderating variable (as suggested by Jackson et al, 2001).…”

“…In line with earlier research by Jackson et al (2001), laterality information may add incremental validity to studies investigating the basis and application of personality. In these studies, the link between cognitions as antecedents of personality becomes a lot more meaningful once an interaction term including aural preference is included.…”

Evidence of a relationship between asymmetries in tympanic membrane temperature and lateralised sensory preferences

“…Although the evidence is not totally clear given the differences found between males and females, this study provides support for the argument 120 JACKSON that ear preference acts as a marker for contralateral hemispheric activity and supports the arguments of researchers who have previously made these claims (e.g., Dean & Reynolds, 1997;Kinsbourne, 1970; and more recently Jackson, 2005Jackson, , 2008Jackson et al, 2001). The link between ear preference and tympanic membrane temperature is useful to have identified, given that self-report ear preference is completely non-invasive and provides the opportunity to collect laterality information in the real-world environment or by means of questionnaire over the Internet.…”

“…Jackson (2008) reports that right ear preference people make shorter time estimates for how long it takes to undertake actions, and have less ''restraint'' compared to left ear preference people, and shows that disinhibition is greater among neurotic people with a right ear preference compared to left ear preference. Other recent evidence that ear preference is a potential measure of hemispheric asymmetry is also presented by Jackson (2005), who reports interactions with cognitions in the prediction of personality, and Jackson, Furnham, and Miller (2001), who report interactions with personality in the prediction of sales performance. It is therefore unsurprising that support for a relation between lateral preferences such as ear preference and hemispheric activity is ultimately supported by Dean and Reynolds (1997) and Kinsbourne (1970Kinsbourne ( , 1997.…”

Do left and right asymmetries of hemispheric preference interact with attention to predict local and global performance in applied tasks?

“…Use of ear preference for this purpose is a straightforward and indirect way of measuring hemispheric asymmetry (Gullo, Jackson, & Dawe, 2010;Jackson, 2005, 2008, Jackson, 2010Jackson, Furnham, & Miller, 2001). Jackson (2008) demonstrates that ear preference is highly related to headset preference in telesales people, and provides evidence that ear preference is an index of action goal formation tendencies in specific support of Davidson's well-known model of laterality (e.g., Davidson & Sutton, 1995).…”