| This study analyzed the differences of decision-making behavior between aviation and non-aviation graduate students. Aviation professionals and previous researchers had primarily been concerned with the identification of improving technology. Recent research resulted in an additional area of interest focused on seeking answers addressing how decisions are made in high-risk aviation environments. This quantitative research studied aviation and non-aviation subjects and analyzed the verbal behavior identified from the choices made on a personality test. The literature supported the perception that verbal statements are the result of an individual's thought processes and the collection of environmental causes that may be used to understand behavior. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS) (Alpine Media Corporation, 2003) provided a numerical score for factors such as thinking versus feeling and judging versus perceiving with replicable operational outcomes. A Multiple Analysis of Variance, with Grade Point Average (GPA) as a covariate was performed. The dependent variable scores on the KTS scales of Feeling, Thinking, Judging, and Perception were analyzed to determine whether any significant differences existed between the Master of Aeronautical Science (MAS) and Master of Science in Technical Management (MSTM) groups. A significant difference on the scale of Thinking and Judging was found for the MSTM group but not for the MAS group. The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduates of the MAS and the MSTM programs demonstrated a significant difference on personality test scores that may confirm that decision-making skills are a part of their program's learning outcomes. |
