Type a Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern

The present study was conducted to examine the relationship of birth order and family size to the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. Previous research indicates that parents are more likely to set high, but ambiguous, achievement standards for t-heir first-born children, and to push them harder than later borns. These style differences parallel those proposed for parents of Type A children, suggesting that one factor in the development of Type A behavior may be differential treatment of first versus later borns. Results indicated that Type A individuals are more likely to be first born, and more generally earl)' born, but that this relationship is most true in large families.