Psychophysiological reactivity and speech behavior during the Structured Type A Interview and a self-disclosure monologue.
Speech characteristics and the simultaneously recorded psychophysiological reactivity were compared between two tape-recorded speech tests, the Structured Type A Interview (SI) and a standardized 'self-disclosure' monologue (SD) as a non-social speech test. The SD started with a 5-min mental preparation interval followed by 3 subsequent self-reports each lasting 1.5 min. The 26 students used as subjects showed in all cardiovascular parameters (interbeat interval, pulse transit time to the earlobe, finger plethysmographic amplitudes and blood pressure) strong and similar reactivity to both tests. The individual rankings of physiological reactivity turned out to be remarkably constant over all experimental periods, but this reactivity was neither correlated with the Type A scores nor with sex. Modest correlations between the SI and SD test were obtained for word rate, expiratory sighs, and silent latent pauses. Thereby, some speech variables tended to be affected by the Type A behavior, and, to a somewhat stronger extent, by sex. The desirability of a non-social speech test for assessing Type A behavior is discussed.
D000328:Adult; D001776:Blood Circulation Time; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010991:Plethysmography; D011674:Pulse; D012650:Self Disclosure; D014434:Type A Personality; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*