The relationship between the type A behavior pattern and physiological responsivity: a quantitative review

Researchers have attempted to specify the process linking Type A behavior to coronary artery disease. Increased cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity in Type A individuals has been proposed as the intervening mechanism. There have been several previous reviews of the research relating Type A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPsychophysiology Vol. 26; no. 1; p. 110
Main Author Harbin, T J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.01.1989
Subjects
Adult
Arousal - physiology
Blood Pressure
Epinephrine - blood
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
Male
Norepinephrine - blood
Type A Personality
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Summary:Researchers have attempted to specify the process linking Type A behavior to coronary artery disease. Increased cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity in Type A individuals has been proposed as the intervening mechanism. There have been several previous reviews of the research relating Type A behavior to physiological reactivity. The authors' conclusions have been equivocal; some assert that Type A persons are more reactive, whereas others find no evidence for such a conclusion. In this report, meta-analysis, an alternative to the traditional narrative review, was employed to provide a quantitative evaluation of the relationship between Type A behavior and physiological reactivity. Results indicated that: 1) Type As respond to cognitive and psychomotor stimulus situations with greater heart rate and systolic blood pressure responses, 2) this relationship is not evident in females, 3) the relationship is more evident for some cognitive tasks than for others, and 4) the strength of the relationship depends upon the instrument used to assess Type A behavior.
ISSN:0048-5772
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8986.1989.tb03138.x