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Personality traits and virtual reality performance

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Abstract

Background

Surgeons’ personalities have been described as different from those of the general population, but this was based on small descriptive studies limited by the choice of evaluation instrument. Furthermore, although the importance of the human factor in team performance has been recognized, the effect of personality traits on technical performance is unknown. This study aimed to compare surgical residents’ personality traits with those of the general population and to evaluate whether an association exists between their personality traits and technical performance using a virtual reality (VR) laparoscopy simulator.

Methods

In this study, 95 participants (54 residents with basic, 29 with intermediate laparoscopic experience, and 12 students) underwent personality assessment using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and performed five VR tasks of the Lap Mentor™ basic tasks module. The residents’ personality traits were compared with those of the general population, and the association between VR performance and personality traits was investigated.

Results

Surgical residents showed personality traits different from those of the general population, demonstrating lower neuroticism, higher extraversion and conscientiousness, and male residents showed greater openness. In the multivariable analysis, adjusted for gender and surgical experience, none of the personality traits was found to be an independent predictor of technical performance.

Conclusions

Surgical residents present distinct personality traits that differ from those of the general population. These traits were not found to be associated with technical performance in a virtual environment. The traits may, however, play an important role in team performance, which in turn is highly relevant for optimal surgical performance.

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Acknowledgments

The authors’ acknowledge all the study participants, the board of directors, and the faculty at the 29th International Gastrointestinal Surgery Workshop held at Davos 2011 for supporting our study. This study was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation grant 3200B0-120722/1. The Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics is supported by grants from Santésuisse and from the Gottfried and Julia Bangerter–Rhyner Foundation. The funding source had no role in the design or performance of the study; the collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or the preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Disclosures

Rachel Rosenthal, Juliane Schäfer, Henry Hoffmann, Martina Vitz, Daniel Oertli, and Dieter Hahnloser have no conflicts of interest or financial ties to disclose.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Visceral Surgery, Basel University Hospital, Spitalstrasse 26, 4031, Basel, Switzerland

    Rachel Rosenthal, Juliane Schäfer, Henry Hoffmann & Daniel Oertli

  2. Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Basel University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

    Juliane Schäfer

  3. Department of Visceral Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Dieter Hahnloser

  4. Laparoscopic Training Center, Zurich, Switzerland

    Martina Vitz

Authors
  1. Rachel Rosenthal
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  2. Juliane Schäfer
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  3. Henry Hoffmann
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  4. Martina Vitz
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  6. Dieter Hahnloser
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rachel Rosenthal.

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Rosenthal, R., Schäfer, J., Hoffmann, H. et al. Personality traits and virtual reality performance. Surg Endosc 27, 222–230 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-012-2424-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-012-2424-z

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