The relationship between personality traits and cognitive functions has been a continuing theme in studies conducted in this lab (lab report 4.1, lab report 2_5, lab report 1.2). A relatively small but remarkably persistent relationship has been evident between the affective and cognitive variables. The studies have typically used a derivative of the so-called "big five" model of personality structure with primary focus on two of the factors: a preference for working with data vs. ideas (approach), and a preference for working with people vs. things (focus). The rationale, including correspondence to terminology used on other measures (e.g. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is included in a prior report (lab report 2.5).

Consideration of personality variables warrants attention also in the current lab investigations associated with delivery of services via the Internet/WWW. Prior studies suggest that personality variables could provide a significant extraneous influence on a client's comfort and satisfaction with an online experience.

Jones (1994) found a relationship between traits corresponding to approach and focus and a variety of variables related to likelihood of computer use. In that study, among other relationships, participants with strong approach preference for ideas rather than things reported being more likely to purchase hardware/software and more likely to complete a major task with a computer. Participants with strong focus preference on things rather than people reported being more likely to experiment with software packages.

Although the frequency of computer use has obviously increased dramatically since the time of the study above, a reported relationship between personality traits and computer use has persisted. For example, two recent dissertations (Ahn, 2000; Macgregor, 2000) found a relationship between personality traits and variables associated with online distance education. The former used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and found approach and focus variables in a direction consistent with the Jones study with greater satisfaction with online distance education associated with an "ideas" approach and a "things" preference (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator preferences of N and T, respectively). The latter dissertation study used the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire with comparable results.

Data for this study of personality traits and computer use were adventitiously available from the study (lab report 5.1) of CyberCounseling, using the same participants and test instruments. In the CyberCounseling study, participants completed a vocational interest inventory scale, Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI). Results on the VPI are scaled using the RIASEC model of vocational personality structure. The CyberCounseling study reported the interpretation of those test results to the participants using online and face-to-face procedures.

Prediger, Swaney, and Mau (1993) have suggested that the six vocational personality dimensions in Holland's model can be interpreted with a two-factor solution comparable to the approach and focus scales described above and provide formulae based on the relative ranking of the six dimensions to produce the data-ideas (approach) and things-people (focus) scales. The calculations result in scores ranging from -10 to +10 on the data/ideas scale and -11 to +11 on the people/things scale with the lower numbers associated with ideas and people, respectively. These formulae were used with the VPI scores of the CyberCounseling participants to generate the approach and focus scores for this study.

Tables 1 and 2 below describe the differences in mean response to the five SEQ depth scale questions for approach and focus variables.

** p < .05

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Summary and Discussion

Although only one of the contrasts indicated a statistically significant difference (higher score with "things" focus on the worthless vs. valuable session rating), a strong case could be made that this is the most important rating on the most important of the SEQ scales. None of the comparisons between the idea-data approach trait were statistically significant, but the overall depth rating approached statistical significance, and all differences were in the direction suggested by prior studies with more statisfaction associated with the ideas preference. Because multiple t-test comparisons were made, Bonferroni's correction was used to establish the minimum significance level considering number of comparisons and the mean correlations of the outcome variables.

With caution that only one statistically significant difference was evident and that these data were adventitious, the results continue a consistent pattern of personality traits serving as a moderating variable in studies associated with online behavior. Studies in which the participant sample includes a more representative distribution of these traits are being planned.

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References

Jones, W.P. (1994). Computer use and cognitive style. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 26, 514-522.

Ahn, I.C. (2000). Relationship of personality types and learners' performance in computer-mediated distance education. (Doctoral dissertation, Purdue University, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences. Vol 60(11-A), Jun 2000, pp. 3973.

Macgregor, C.J. (2000). Does personality matter: A comparison of student experiences in traditional and online classrooms. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri, Columbia, 2000). Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences. Vol 61(5-A), Dec 2000, pp. 1696

Prediger, D., Swaney, K., & Mau, W. (1993). Extending Holland's hexagon: Procedures, counseling applications, and research. Journal of Counseling & Development, 71, 422-428.

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SERIES FIVE STUDIES

Guide to Reports


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