Allocation of attention and the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6203341
AutoresKaren A Matthews (0000-0001-8193-2202), Bradford I Brunson
Año1979
Volumen37
Número11
Páginas2081-2090
Fecha de publicación1979-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
EditorialAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.37.11.2081
PMID521903
OpenAlexW2023492338
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas36
Referencias citadas2

Three studies were conducted to assess the attentional style of individuals with the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. Experiment 1, which made use of a dual-task paradigm, revealed that Type A's focus their attention on central tasks; thus, they attend less to peripheral tasks than do Type B's. Experiments 2 and 3, which used a single task performed in the presence of a distracting stimulus, indicated that Type A's actively inhibit or suppress their attention to task-irrelevant peripheral events that might distract them from task performance. These findings validated anecdotal observations that Type A's appear hyperalert (focused in their attention) but neglect task-irrelevant cues. Previous research has demonstrated that Type A's fail to report fatigue as well as a variety of other physical symptoms of illness during task performance. To the extent that symptoms are analogous to peripheral events that distract from task performance, the data suggest that Type A's suppress their attention to symptoms. Implications of the attentional style of Type A's for the pathogenesis of coronary artery and heart disease are discussed.

Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Neglect · Personality · Psychiatry · Stimulus (psychology · Task (project management · Type A and Type B personality theory · Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies · Cardiac Health and Mental Health · Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Workplace Health and Well-being