ABSTRACT
The benefits of effective training have been well established through empirical research (for reviews, see Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009; Arthur, Bennett, Edens, & Bell, 2003; Salas et al., 2008; Salas, Tannenbaum, Kraiger, & Smith-Jentsch, 2012). Moreover, considerable progress has been made in building a science of training (Salas & Cannon-Bowers, 2001; Salas et al., 2012), particularly with respect to linking individual states and organization-level variables to training outcomes before, during, and after training (see Cannon-Bowers, Tannenbaum, Salas, & Converse, 1991; Kozlowski & Salas, 1997). Still, relevant personality variables have received less empirical attention than are perhaps deserved. In general, training is widely considered to be a cognitive, skill-based intervention, whereas personality traditionally captures enduring personal characteristics (and thus less amenable to change). To provide a framework for future research and practice, we will review the relevant literature on personality in the development, delivery, and evaluation of training, while highlighting variables and topics in need of further examination.
