RT journal article
T1 Personality Profiles Among Novice UAV Operators: A Facet-Based, Person-Centered Study of Simulator Performance
A1 De la Torre, Gabriel G.
A1 Ramallo Luna, Miguel Ángel
A1 González de la Torre Muñoz, Sara
A1 Szala, Anna
A1 García Sedeño, Manuel Antonio
A2 Psicología
K1 UAV
K1 personality profiles
K1 individual differences
K1 NEO-PI-R
K1 simulator performance
AB ObjectiveThis study examined whether facet-based personality profiles could be identified among novice unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots and whether these profiles were associated with simulator performance.BackgroundResearch on personality and UAV performance has relied primarily on variable-centered approaches, leaving the potential value of person-centered analyses largely unexplored.MethodFifty individuals with no previous flight experience completed the 30 facets of the NEO Personality Inventory–Revised (NEO-PI-R) and a UAV simulator task. Standardized facet scores were entered into K-means cluster analyses. Alternative solutions were evaluated using clustering fit indices; between-cluster differences in personality and simulator performance were examined statistically, with false discovery rate correction for facet-level comparisons.ResultsA three-cluster solution was supported. Profiles differed predominantly in Neuroticism and Conscientiousness, with additional differences in Extraversion and, to a lesser extent, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Trust. No statistically significant differences emerged in total simulator time or total simulator errors, although Cluster 3 showed descriptively more favorable performance.ConclusionNovice UAV pilots were not psychologically homogeneous. Facet-level, person-centered analyses may help characterize psychological heterogeneity during initial UAV training; however, the findings do not support personality-profile-based performance differentiation in this sample.
PB Taylor & Francis
SN 2472-1840
YR 2026
FD 2026-09-23
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/40333
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/40333
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 06-nov-2026