Advisor: Dr. Natheer Abu-Obeid
Co-Advisor: Dr. Fayez Al-Simadi

Abstract:
Our personality traits tend to play significant role in our interaction with the environment. This research is an investigation on the effect of our personality traits on the perception of the built environment. One hundred and twelve (112) students from Jordan University for Science and Technology completed Cattell sixteen-personality factors type B test. Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, sixty (60) students divided into thirty (30) architecture students and thirty (30) non-architecture students rated ten (10) non-familiar architectural environments on a seven step semantic differential scale that contained thirty two (32) items. In the second experiment, fifty-two (52) students divided into twenty-four (24) and twenty eight (28) architecture and non-architecture students, respectively rated ten (10) familiar environments on the same scale. Results pointed out that personality traits had a strong effect on our perception of the environment and that the relationship between environmental perception and personality traits is dynamic. Familiarity played a significant role in the results obtained on both personality traits and the correlated evaluation items. Furthermore, architecture students were more consistent with their affective personality traits in environmental perception. They were more objective, whereas non-architecture students were subjective and emotional in their responses.