Physiological correlates of the coronary-prone behavior pattern in women during examination stress.
This research is an assessment of the physiological correlates of Type A behavior in college-aged women. Subjects were monitored while they took a midterm statistics examination; the dependent variables were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability. Type A or B behavior was assessed with the student form of the Jenkins Activity Survey. The results indicated that Type A women had higher levels of systolic blood pressure and heart rate, and lower levels of heart rate variability. Thus, when the stressor was a genuine examination, Type A behavior in young women was associated with increased physiological response levels compared to Type B's, a finding consistent with the hypothesis that Type A behavior is associated with sympathetic nervous system activity.
Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996.
K A
KA
Lawler
S W
SW
Huck
L B
LB
Smalley
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014434:Type A Personality