An empirical study of the effects of personality on software testing

The effectiveness of testing is a major determinant of software quality. It is believed that individual testers vary in their effectiveness, but so far the factors contributing to this variation have not been well studied. In this study, we examined whether personality traits, as described by the five-factor model, affect performance on a software testing task. ICT students were given a small software testing task at which their effectiveness was assessed using several different criteria, including bug location rate, weighted fault density, and bug report quality. Their personality was assessed using the NEO PI-3 personality questionnaire. We then compared testing performance according to individual and aggregate measures against different five-factor personality traits. Several weak correlations between two of these personality traits, extraversion and conscientiousness, and testing effectiveness were found.