Challenge and type A scorers: implications of situational consistency and control

A transactional approach to Type A behavior was examined using a computer-editing task. 39 men and 47 women were assigned to treatment conditions involving either a fast, inconsistent, or slow computer-system response time. High scores on Type A and Competitiveness measures of the Jenkins Activity Survey were associated with users' briefer response times during fast and slow conditions. High scores on Competitiveness were associated with increased (post- minus pretask) state-anxiety scores during the fast condition and with decreased state-anxiety scores during the slow condition. Type A behavior scores were uncorrelated to subjects' response times or emotional reactivity during the inconsistent condition. Implications of situational predictability and control for Type A behavior pattern were discussed.