Efforts to excel and the type A behavior pattern in children

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Health Psychology

Background:

• The Type A behavior pattern is a significant risk factor for adult coronary heart disease.
• Type A behavior is defined by intense achievement striving, impatience, aggression, and hostility.
• Understanding childhood precursors to Type A behavior is crucial for early intervention and risk reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate achievement-striving differences between Type A and Type B children.
• To examine how performance criteria ambiguity influences effort in Type A and Type B children.
• To explore the link between Type A behavior in children and potential coronary risk factors.

Main Methods:

• Experiment 1: Fourth graders performed arithmetic problems under timed and untimed conditions.
• Experiment 2: Sixth-grade boys held weights adjusted for their strength, with no explicit stopping cue.
• Both experiments assessed performance and, in Experiment 2, subjective fatigue levels.

Main Results:

• Type A children generally solved more arithmetic problems than Type B children, particularly without a time limit.
• Type A children held weights significantly longer (50% more) than Type B children.
• Type A children underreported their fatigue relative to their expended effort.

Conclusions:

• Type A children exert greater effort than Type B children on tasks with ambiguous performance criteria.
• The tendency to underreport fatigue in Type A children may be an important factor contributing to coronary risk.
• Findings highlight the importance of studying behavioral patterns in childhood for understanding long-term health outcomes.