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Task Incentives, Type A Behavior Pattern, and Verbal Problem Solving Performance 1
Author(s) -
Blumenthal James A.,
McKee Daphne C.,
Haney Thomas,
Williams Redford B.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00696.x
Subject(s) - psychology , situational ethics , task (project management) , incentive , social psychology , type a and type b personality theory , stressor , cognitive psychology , developmental psychology , personality , clinical psychology , microeconomics , management , economics
A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the interaction between task incentives and the Type A behavior pattern in determining performance during a task of verbal problem solving. The results indicated that Type A subjects responded more quickly and more frequently than their Type B counterparts. In addition, evidence suggested that a situational characteristic–whether instructions offered a monetary reward or served as an evaluative stressor–affected subjects differently depending on their behavior pattern classification. These findings suggest that Pattern A behavior occurs as a response to challenges signifying the potential for reward as well as a threat of failure. Implications for future research emphasize the need to investigate the characteristics of the situation and the task, as well as the individual.