The influence of personality type on decision making in the physical therapy admission process

The purpose of this study was to identify the personality types of physical therapy (PT) interviewers and applicants, using the Personality Styles (PS) assessment tool, and to determine whether an interview team's personality type influences the rating score given. The PS was validated in a study of 298 students who completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Form G and a PS assessment. By chi-square analysis the PS model appears to be a valid representation of the MBTI (chi 2 = 86.62, p < 0.00001). Subjects for the interview portion of the study were 282 student applicants, 19 faculty, and 47 clinicians from two PT programs. A randomly assigned faculty/clinician team interviewed each applicant. Two one-way ANOVAs were performed with interview score as the dependent variable and 1) applicant personality type in relation to faculty/clinician team (same, different from both, like one) and 2) applicant personality type as the independent variables. Internal consistency of the interview rating form was alpha = 0.89. Mean interview score was 33.97/42 (SD 4.59). Interview scores were not significantly different between applicants who interviewed with clinician/faculty teams that were "like" compared with "not like" the applicants (F0.864; p = 0.423), but were significantly different between applicants with different PS personality types (F3.159; p = 0.026). Although personality type of the interview team did not impact the score given, thereby refuting the presence of interviewer bias, the rating scores did vary according to personality type of the applicant, suggesting a possible stereotyping bias in the criteria used to rate applicants.