Coronary‐Prone Behavior Pattern and Cardiovascular Response

ABSTRACT Two studies were carried out examining the relationship between coronary‐prone behavior pattern and cardiovascular responses to an experimental stressor. Among 52 subjects of the Type A (coronary‐prone) and Type B (non‐coronary‐prone) behavior patterns in Study I, Type A males showed greater elevations of systolic blood pressure than Type B males on exposure to a difficult cognitive task; no reliable differences were found for Type A and B females. Due to a conceptual similarity of the coronary‐prone behavior pattern and the personality dimension of Internal External locus of control, 48 male subjects in Study II were selected with respect to four subject groups: Type A‐Internals, Type A‐Externals, Type B‐Internals, and Type B‐Externals. Again, Type As showed a more pronounced systolic response than subjects of the Type B pattern, though diastolic blood pressure and heart rate responses did not vary by coronary‐prone behavior pattern. While locus of control‐Internals tended to show greater task‐related systolic elevations than Externals, this effect was not significant. Self‐reports of anxiety increased during the period of the task, but revealed no differences among Type A and B subjects of either study. It was concluded that for male subjects the Type A‐Type B dimension constitutes a salient variable of individual differences mediating the systolic pressor response.