Predicting pilots' risk-taking behavior through an implicit association test.
OBJECTIVE
The Implicit Association Test (IAT), in combination with a battery of additional psychometric tests, was employed to examine the accuracy with which it predicts pilots' risk-taking behavior.


BACKGROUND
Risk management is an integral part of piloting. Many factors affect pilots' risk management, including individual differences. Therefore, employing a unique methodology from social cognition, the present study examined the influence of attitude, as measured implicitly through the IAT, personality, and flight experience variables on pilots' risk-taking behavior.


METHODS
In addition to a simulated flight on a computer-based flight simulator, 35 pilots completed a battery of psychometric tests.


RESULTS
Among the 6 risk perception variables, 10 risk attitude variables, and 2 experience variables, only 2 variables were found to be significantly related with in-flight risk-taking behavior: everyday risk (risk perception) and the IAT effect (attitude). Of these, the IAT effect was the strongest predictor of flight behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that implicit attitudinal measures, such as the IAT, provide a more accurate forecast of pilot behavior than do the more traditional explicit attitudinal or personality measures.


CONCLUSIONS
An implicit attitudinal measure can be proactively employed to identify pilots who are potentially more likely to engage in high-risk activities, hence permitting a more strategic approach to pilot training.
Molesworth
Brett R C
BR
University of New South Wales, Aviation Room 205C, Old Main Building, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. b.molesworth@unsw.edu.au
Chang
Betty
B
D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012308:Risk Management; D012309:Risk-Taking