Personality traits predict the need for cognitive closure in advanced undergraduate medical students

The personality dimensions Openness, Extraversion, and Honesty-Humility are negatively predictive of medical students' tendency towards cognitive closure. Learning to reflect on these interrelations is critical for medical students, as inappropriate responses to uncertainty can lead to poor medical decisions. Integrating self-reflective exercises into the curriculum could support students to recognize how their personality influences their response to uncertainty in medical practice.