Selection for professional training in psychology: The predictive value of the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20853/40-4-7287Keywords:
16 Personality Factor Questionnaire, personality factors, professional training, psychology, selectionAbstract
Although personality factors play a role in therapeutic efficacy, limited research has been conducted on the association between personality factors and the selection for professional training in psychology within South Africa. This study aimed to determine the extent to which personality factors, as measured by the 5th edition of the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF5), predicted participants’ performance in the selection process for professional training in psychology. A quantitative non-experimental ex post facto survey design was used, which entailed the secondary use of data (16PF5 data, scores in specific selection activities, and the overall selection outcome). The data were collected for non-research purposes during the selection processes for professional training in psychology at a specific institution and included 288 participants over a period of 6 years. Descriptive, correlational, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed, along with the development of Naïve Bayes models. Various 16PF5 personality factors were found to have predictive value in most selection activities' outcomes. In turn, each of these selection activities and their associated personality factors, along with Dominance (factor E) and Perfectionism (factor Q3), were found to be strong predictors of the final selection outcome. These results illustrate the potentially significant role that personality factors can play in selecting the best possible candidates for professional training in psychology.
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