Relation between Personality Traits and Imaginative Capability of Engineering Students

摘要

In this study, we examined the curvilinear effects of personality traits on the imaginative capability of engineering students. The participants in this study consisted of 503 engineering majors. The results indicated that all of the traits assessed exhibited various curvilinear relationships with imaginative capability, except for 'extraversion', which exhibited only a direct effect on initiating imagination. A curvilinear effect of 'openness' for an inverted U-shaped relationship influenced conceiving imagination. 'Neuroticism' exhibited direct and curvilinear relationships for an inverted U-form with conceiving imagination. 'Conscientiousness' exhibited direct and curvilinear effects and an inverted U-shaped relationship with conceiving imagination. In addition, conceiving imagination increased with the 'agreeableness' score, and their association revealed a U-shaped curvilinear relationship. The results of this study are pivotal for student selection and guidance, and crucial for the pre-employment assessments of people seeking jobs in the engineering field.