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Measures of actual and reported physiological functioning were obtained from 39 white-collar workers under rest and bogus ultrasound conditions, with the latter condition being designed to focus their attention on internal physiological functioning. The actual physiological measures consisted of changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, skin resistance, and peripheral temperature, and there were corresponding self-report measures, as well as an assessment of reported stress. There were only modest relationships between actual and reported changes in physiological functioning, and there were very few effects of Type A and neuroticism on actual physiological changes. The attentional manipulation had more effect on Type As than on Type Bs for changes in reported heart rate, respiratory rate, sweat, and stress; it also had more effect on those low in neuroticism than those high in neuroticism for changes in reported sweat and stress, and there were similar (but non-significant) effects in the reported heart rate and respiratory rate data. Theoretical accounts of these findings for Type A behaviour pattern and neuroticism are discussed.

Emotional styles and coping strategies related to Type A behaviour in 364 healthy young men were examined. It was found that a global index of Type A behaviour was not a useful concept but the psychological nature of Type A behaviour could be understood through its different dimensions. At least two different sets of Type A components were found. The first represented a person who scored high on the Engagement-Involvement factor of Type A behaviour. He was characterized by a positive attitude toward emotions and an ability to perceive and express them adequately. When faced with stress he used problem-focused coping. The other type scored high on the Hard-driving factor of Type A behaviour. He was characterized by high discomfort with emotions and a proneness to express emotions through somatic symptoms. In stressful situations he used withdrawal. Depression was strongly included in that combination. It may be that rather than tha whole Type A behaviour pattern the last mentioned combination represents coronary-prone behaviour.

The present study examined several hypotheses concerning behavioural and physiological differences between Type A and B individuals when involved in a competitive driving game. The results showed Type As expressed a greater desire to win the competition than did Type B Ss and were more erratic and more careless in performing the task. This distinct style was salient when Type As were involved in competition. Furthermore Type As increased heart rate (HR) more than Type Bs during both competition and practice. Results are discussed in terms of assessing the Type A behaviour pattern for predicting driver performance and improving road safety. Possible implications of the present results for the modification of Type A are also discussed.

This investigation explored the conceptual and empirical linkages between the Protestant work ethic (PWE) and the Type A behaviour pattern (TABP). Considering the apparent similarities between these work-related variables, surprisingly little is known about the relationship between them. In one sample ( N = 214), a global Type A measure correlated significantly but weakly with the PWE, while in another ( N = 136) the nature of the PWE-TABP relationship depended on the particular TABP subscale under consideration; i.e. near-zero for “impatience-irritability” but positive for “achievement strivngs”. These findings are consistent with the earlier work of Furnham ( Psychological Reports, 66 , 323–328, 1990). Additional analysis suggests, however, that the overlap between these variables is attributable to the influence of the need for achievement. When the effects of this third variable are held constant, the PWE is orthogonal to the TABP.

Analysis of the moderating effects of private and public self-consciousness (PSC and PuSC) on the relationship between self-report measures of the Type A behaviour pattern and a structured interview measure of the pattern showed that the samples low in PSC and PuSC had stronger relationships between the variables than those high, contrary to expectations. The results are discussed in terms of the need to take account of other variables in the test situation.

The Type A behaviour pattern (TABP) has emerged as a predictor of reaction to stress in interaction with a range of task and environmental variables. This paper reports the results of two experimental studies to demonstrate that, in order to predict the role of the TABP, measured both by questionnaire and by structured interview in reaction to stress in demanding cognitive tasks, the influence of the nature of the feedback given to performers (success or failure at earlier stages of the task) and the degree to which the performers are aware of being observed directly (high versus low levels of manipulated self-awareness) need to be taken into account. The nature of the internal standards that people who, to a greater or less extent possess the TABP, must be known before predictions can be made about how performance will be affected.

Although the concept of arousal has led to the development of various psychological constructs, and instruments for measuring them, few attempts have been made to investigate the relationship between more than two of these measures in a moderately large heterogeneous population. This study set out to compare measures of extraversion, sensation seeking, stimulus screening and the Type A behaviour pattern. Subscale, as well as total scale, scores were intercorrelated. The results showed that all the measures correlated significantly positively but that the highest correlations were between the subscale scores on the various tests. The implications for individual-difference measurement are considered.