TYPE-A BEHAVIOR AND THE PERCEPTION OF FACIALLY EXPRESSED AFFECT

This study examined whether Type A Behaviour (TAB) influenced the perc eption of facially expressed affect in a sample of 130 medical student s (71 males, 59 females). TAB was assessed by the Bortner scale and su bjects were divided into two groups (Type A; Type B) using a median sp lit. Each participant rated a set of natural facial expressions in ter ms of their positive-negative affect. The photographs were grouped int o three sets, depicting sad, ambiguous or happy facial expressions. Th e results showed that while Type A and Type B subjects did not differ in their perception of sad and happy photographs, Type A individuals g ave significantly more positive ratings to the ambiguous photographs. These results are discussed in the light of current research on the na ture of the TAB pattern.