Type A Behavior in Normal and Hyperactive Children: Multisource Evidence of Overlapping Constructs

Abstract

1 goal was to identify correlates of the Type A "coronary-prone" Behavior Pattern (TABP) in children. A second was to examine the overlap between hyperactivity and TABP. In Study 1, a diverse set of measures reliably distinguished boys classified as Type A versus Type B on the basis of the MYTH, a teacher rating scale. The MYTH Competition subscale was related to perceived leadership, athleticism, and--when age and IQ were partialed out--to task attention in the classroom. The Impatience-Aggression subscale showed a different and more extensive configuration of correlates, including staff and peer assessments of problematic behaviors as well as classroom observations of noisemaking, verbalization, and social (particularly negative) contact. Hyperactive boys received higher Type A scores than did their comparison peers, a difference attributable to higher scores on the Impatience-Aggression subscale. Study 2, a partial replication conducted with a different group of hyperactive children, yielded a similar configuration of correlates. Discussion focused on the implications of the overlap between TABP and hyperactivity and, more generally, the heterogeneity of children designated Type A.