The Time-Urgency Component of the Type A Behavior Pattern: Time Pressure and Performance1

We investigated the effects of time pressure on the performance of Type A and Type B individuals. We predicted that Type As would perform more poorly than Type Bs on an anagram task during a timed condition, but not during an untimed condition. Subjects were 40 female undergraduates and the Jenkins Activity Survey was used to measure Type A behavior. The results confirmed our hypothesis. Type As made significantly more errors than Type Bs when timed, but not when untimed. Implications of these findings and the time-urgency component of the Type A behavior pattern are discussed.     

Problem Solving and Suicidal Behavior

Research on suicidal behavior falls into two main areas: studies that aim to identify demographic and social risk factors, and studies that aim to investigate the psychological processes mediating suicidal behavior. Within the latter approach, impaired problem-solving ability has been found to be an important variable. This paper reviews recent research focusing on problem-solving deficits and their relation to suicidal behavior and considers some of the methodological problems that arise. These findings are discussed in terms of active versus passive problem solving, state or trait factors, and the psychological processes underlying problem solving. Suggestions for further research are made, focusing on the links between suicidal behavior, problem solving, and autobiographical memory.     

Time Urgency and the Type A Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern1

Two experiments were conducted to examine behavioral consequences of a sense of time urgency, which presumably characterizes individuals classified as manifesting a so-called “Type A” coronary-prone behavior pattern. Experiment I indicated that time-urgent Type A Ss were reliably less successful than noncoronary-prone “Type Bs” in performing a task requiring a low rate of response for reinforcement (DRL). Type As were not only unable to delay their responses; they also showed greater evidence of tension and hyperactivity than Type Bs during DRL performance. Experiment II extended these results to the interpersonal domain. Time-urgent Ss became more impatient and irritated than less urgent Ss when both types were systematically slowed down in their efforts to reach a solution on a joint decision-making task. The results were discussed in terms of a conceptualization of the A-B dimension as reflecting differential expectations of and needs for environmental control. Additional evidence was presented in support of this approach. Consideration was also given to possible physiologic mechanisms mediating the relationship between psychological variables such as the Type A pattern and actual occurrence of coronary heart disease.     

Type A Behavior,Experience, and Salesperson Performance

The findings of this study indicate that Type A behavior pattern, working indirectly through role clarity and effort, has a significant impact on performance. Experience was also found to relate to performance both directly and through role clarity. In the particular type of outcome-based sales setting where individual autonomy and entrepreneurship are encouraged, personal characteristics have significance for performance. Recruiting appropriate salespeople and retaining effective experienced individuals is critically important in environments that emphasize individualism and internal competition.     

Verbal Problem Solving in Families of Father-Absent and Father-Present Delinquent Boys

An observational method was used to investigate the relationship of juvenile delinquency and father absence to family problem-solving communicatian. Subjects included 18 intact (mother- father-son) and 18 father-absent (mother-son) families. In support of recent programs that have used probIem-solving interventions with families of deviant adolescents, the results indicated that adolescent delinquency was associated with lower rates of maternal problem solving. Members of families with delinquents also showed less emotional warmth, but not more conflict or attitudinal differences, than members of families with nondelinquents. Father-absence was associated with higher rates of maternal and adolescent problem solving. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Effect of Musical Mode on Verbal and Spatial Task Performance

Music in the major mode is often associated with happy feelings, which could enhance task performance, compared with that in the minor mode, which is associated more with sadness. Male and female participants (N = 48) completed written verbal and spatial reasoning tests while a piece of music in F major by Handel was being played, and again when the same piece was digitally manipulated to create a version in the minor mode. The confounding variable of using two different compositions was thus avoided. Results showed that the music in the major mode was rated more emotionally positive by both sexes than was the minor mode version (p ≤ .001). Performance by females on verbal tasks was significantly enhanced with major mode music, compared with the minor (p = .018), but there were no such findings for other combinations of sex and task. Also with major mode music only, there were trends for females to score higher than males on verbal tasks, and for males to score the highest on spatial tasks. Reasons for the research findings are suggested.     

Effects of Goal Type on Performance,Task Interest,and Affect Over Time1

The purpose of this study was to increase understanding regarding the effects of goal-setting practices on a wide range of dependent variables over time. Goal type (control group, quality goal, quantity goal, and dual goal) was manipulated across 3 time periods. Goal × Time interactions were predicted such that quantity, effort, task interest, and positive affect would initially be low, but by later trials would be higher in the quantity and dual-goal conditions compared to the quality goal and control groups. Quality was expected to be greatest in the quality goal condition and to be relatively constant over time. Participants (N= 80) were undergraduates at a large midwestern university. Results indicated some support for our hypotheses in that Goal × Time interactions were found for quantity produced, rated effort, task interest, and positive affect.     

The Effect of Incentives upon Information Gathering in Diagnostic Problem Solving

Tasks reflecting both Level I and Level II abilities as defined by Jensen (6) were performed with more accuracy by preschool children identified in the upper SES level. This performance trend remained the same even after the variable of IQ was controlled for by covariance for the SES levels involved in the study.

These results may reflect a general state of cognitive deprivation for children in the lower SES level as opposed to a specific Level II deficit. However, the performance on Subtest 2 was not significantly different for the two socioeconomic groups involved. This subtest involves choosing, from an array of four pictures of objects, the picture that is conceptually similar to a stimulus picture presented to the youngster. This is supposedly a Level II task. Therefore, some doubt is cast upon the notion of the generic differences between Level I and Level II abilities. At least for the sample in this study the Level I-Level II dichotomy has not been substantiated, and the corollary Arthur Jensen (6) hypotheses have equivocal substantiation.     

Cognitive correlates of the Type A Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern

The present study investigated the relationship between the Type A Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern and two measures of self-relevant cognitions: Ellis's (1962) irrational beliefs, and private and public self-consciousness (Fenigstein, Scheier, & Buss, 1975). The Type A pattern was found consistently to be negatively correlated with a belief in the value of avoiding problems and responsibilities. For males, the Type A pattern was also correlated with irrational beliefs about self-standards for achievement and perfectionism. For females, the Type A pattern was correlated with private self-consciousness and beliefs involving overreaction to frustration and anxious overconcern about potential problems. The results are discussed in terms of the relationship of these cognitive variables to the behavioral components of the Type A pattern and the implications of such relationships for potential cognitive interventions.The authors wish to thank Allison Baker and Jim Pendleton for their help in conducting the study.     

Sustained Attention and the Type a Behavior Pattern: The Effect of Daydreaming on Performance

The present study examined the ability of Type A and Type B subjects to sustain attention during a 40-min visual vigilance task. It was predicted that Type A subjects would perform better than Type B subjects and that the performance of both groups would be related to the frequency of daydreams during the vigil. Type A subjects outperformed Type B subjects with regard to perceptual sensitivity (A') and number of signal detections. Although both groups reported an increase in the number of their daydreams as the vigil progressed, Type A subjects reported fewer daydreams during each period of watch than did Type B subjects. In addition, an inverse relationship was found between the number of signal detections and the frequency of daydreams.     

On Runco's Problem Finding,Problem Solving,and Creativity

The relative significance of the "golden section" (? 0.618) and other notable proportions was investigated using a new unobtrusive methodology, a modified Fechnerian method of production. Fourteen professional painters each sketched under controlled conditions--"veridically, accurately, and realistically" (but without there being any mention of proportions)--27 complex stimuli presented as slides, thus producing a total of 378 sketches. The stimuli in the slides were (a) vase cutouts of various proportions placed in a mantelpiece context and (b) paintings by Kodama, Mondrian, and Whistler. The golden section and other significant and control proportions (a total of 120 occurrences) were identified beforehand by the researcher in the 27 stimuli. The 378 painters' sketches were subsequently measured by the researcher and two assistants to determine the accuracy with which the various proportions had been reproduced by the painters (a grand total of 1680--14 x 120--possible occurrences). The overall accuracy of rendering the proportions was found to be low for the vases and Kodama's paintings, but increased considerably for the Whistlers and Mondrians. As predicted, the accuracy of rendering the golden section increased from the vases to the Kodamas to the Whistlers and Mondrians. For the latter two, the golden section was in fact the most accurately rendered proportion, followed by 1.00 (found, for example, in the square and circle). The golden section is clearly important in art and to artists, but both its use and detection are subtle and must be pursued with great analytic care. The use of professional artists as informants and research participants may be of considerable help.     

Modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Problem Solving for Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

The impact of a modified dialectical behavior therapy and problem-solving model is examined on the work environment of a patient with an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). A case study is presented examining the impact this client's OCPD behavior in the work environment and on his subordinates. Discussed are interventions that were useful in treating a motivated patient employing cognitive-behavioral models of treatment for this disorder. The case study focuses on the work setting and the issues tied to the work environment wherein subordinates are required to work under a supervisor with OCPD. Lessons learned, issues and import for further study are offered.     

Assessing the Verbal Behavior of Conduct Problem Children During Mother-Child Interactions:

In this study we compared the verbal behavior of 4 to 8-year-old conduct problem and normal children in interactions with their mothers in the Child-Directed Interaction phase of the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (Eyberg & Robinson, 1983). It was predicted that conduct problem children would use less praise, ask fewer questions, make more critical statements, and give more commands during interactions with their mothers than normal children. Results support two of these four predictions, with conduct problem children using fewer questions and less praise. Implications for the assessment and treatment of conduct problems as well as how these verbal behaviors may develop from problem parent-child interactions are discussed.     

Coronary Prone Behavior: Components of the Type A Pattern and Hostility

Traditional and nontraditional risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) are discussed with special attention devoted to the Type A behavior pattern (TABP). Positive and negative epidemiological evidence bearing on the risk factors status of global TABP is reviewed. Results of the review suggest that component scoring of the multidimensional global TABP in attempts to uncover "toxic" components, particularly Potential for Hostility, is a profitable research strategy. Similarly, evidence is presented that suggests merit in component scoring of hostility, also a multidimensional construct. To explicate more fully the nature of Potential for Hostility and its categories, correlations between the SI-derived ratings and ratings of established dimensions of individual differences based on the five-factor taxonomic model of personality from subsamples of the MRFIT and WCGS studies are presented. Total Potential for Hostility and especially the Style of interaction category show highly significant relations to Low Agreeableness or Antagonism. High ratings of Potential for Hostility identify individuals who can be described as uncooperative, antagonistic, rude, disagreeable, unsympathetic, callous, and the like. Implications of the evolving concept of coronary-prone behavior, as distinguished from TABP, are briefly considered.     

Differential Effects of Task Performance,Organizational Citizenship Behavior,and Job Complexity on Voluntary Turnover

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance–turnover relationship by considering the effects of task performance and OCBs simultaneously while also examining the moderating effect job complexity has on the relationship between voluntary turnover and each type of performance.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were obtained as part of a larger study to validate an employment test, in which actual turnover data and supervisory ratings of job performance were collected for employees in two hospitals (n = 782).

Findings

Task performance exhibited a curvilinear relationship with turnover, while OCB exhibited a negative linear relationship with turnover. Job complexity moderated both of these relationships. For task performance, turnover in high-complexity jobs was greater for low performers but lower for high performers relative to that of employees in low-complexity jobs. For OCB, the negative relationship with turnover was more pronounced in high-complexity jobs.

Implications

Both low- and high-task performers are more likely to turnover, while employees exhibiting high OCBs are less likely to turnover. These results imply that retention strategies are critical for top performers, but especially in high-complexity jobs. Organizations may be able to discourage voluntary turnover by creating conditions that stimulate OCB, particularly in highly complex jobs.

Originality/Value

Most prior performance–turnover relationship research used unidimensional measures of performance, whereas this study included two dimensions of performance and examined this relationship while controlling for one-performance dimension when predicting the other. Furthermore, this study is one of the first studies to suggest that job complexity moderates the performance–turnover relationship.

     

Effects of Stimulus Color,Pattern, and Practice on Sex Differences in Mental Rotations Task Performance

Redundant color information improved performance for both sexes on the Shepard Mental Rotations Task (MRT; Shepard & Metzler, 1971). Absolute score gains for women were larger than those for men; therefore, relative improvement was greater. Substantial practice effects, also favoring women, were apparent in both studies. Study 1 showed that redundant color improved performance by 0.25 SD. Study 2 demonstrated that redundant black-and-white pattern information did not have any effect; a second visuospatial channel, redundant color, was a critical factor in improving scores of men and women on difficult mental rotations tasks.     

Problem Solving and Autonomous Behavior in Pill Bugs (Armadillidiun vulgare)

This research demonstrates an aspect of problem solving with the creation of emergent (what I have called "autonomous") behaviors in pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare, Isopoda, Crustacean). Two pill bugs were connected back-to-back by a string and left for hours. In this situation, movement of 1 individual (Individual 1) is transmitted by the string and becomes a vibration stimulus to the other (Individual 2). Then Individual 2 tries to escape, and its movement becomes another stimulus to Individual 1. In theory, this process continues, and these individuals cannot escape from the stimulus. In this problematic situation, "mounting" and "death-feigning" behaviors (not ordinarily observed) appeared. These behaviors seem to be emergent autonomous escaping behaviors from the inescapable vibration stimulus. The spatial distribution of pairs showing these behaviors, contrasted with pairs that did not show them, appeared to obey Zipf's law, a statistical property of natural languages.     

A Multiple Baseline Study of the Marriage Contract Game's Effect on Problem Solving and Affective Behavior

In a multiple-baseline design, four relatively untroubled couples were guided by the Marriage Contract Game and related instructions as they negotiated contracts. The results demonstrated generalization from clinic to home, and suggested that problem solving and affection are independent behavior domains. When problem-solving behavior was the target of intervention, the rate of problem-solving behavior increased significantly over baseline during generalization probes. When affective behavior was added as a target of training, the rate of affective behavior increased significantly over previous phases and the rate of problem solving continued to increase. Evidence about the interdependence of marital attitudes and behaviors also emerged. Subjective ratings of problems improved along with the increase in problem-solving behavior; mood ratings improved along with increases in problem-solving and in affective behavior. Training had no effect on ratings of marital happiness.