TYPE-A, NEUROTICISM, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING (ACTUAL AND REPORTED)

Measures of actual and reported physiological functioning were obtaine d from 39 white-collar workers under rest and bogus ultrasound conditi ons, with the latter condition being designed to focus their attention on internal physiological functioning. The actual physiological measu res consisted of changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, skin resista nce, and peripheral temperature, and there were corresponding self-rep ort measures, as well as an assessment of reported stress. There were only modest relationships between actual and reported changes in physi ological functioning, and there were very few effects of Type A and ne uroticism on actual physiological changes. The attentional manipulatio n had more effect on Type As than on Type Bs for changes in reported h eart rate, respiratory rate, sweat, and stress; it also had more effec t on those low in neuroticism than those high in neuroticism for chang es in reported sweat and stress, and there were similar (but non-signi ficant) effects in the reported heart rate and respiratory rate data. Theoretical accounts of these findings for Type A behaviour pattern an d neuroticism are discussed.