Type A behaviour and the perception of facially expressed affect

This study examined whether Type A Behaviour (TAB) influenced the perception of facially expressed affect in a sample of 130 medical students (71 males, 59 females). TAB was assessed by the Bortner scale and subjects were divided into two groups (Type A; Type B) using a median split. Each participant rated a set of natural facial expressions in terms of their positive-negative affect. The photographs were grouped into three sets, depicting sad, ambiguous or happy facial expressions. The results showed that while Type A and Type B subjects did not differ in their perception of sad and happy photographs, Type A individuals gave significantly more positive ratings to the ambiguous photographs. These results are discussed in the light of current research on the nature of the TAB pattern.