RESPONSES OF CHILDREN DEMONSTRATING THE TYPE A AND TYPE B BEHAVIOR PATTERNS TO AMBIGUOUS AND SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS

• Other Authors: HOGELAND, ELIZABETH JEAN.
• Format: Others
• Subjects: Home Economics
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/lib/digcoll/etd/3085085

The purpose of the study was to examine the responses of children demonstrating the Type A and Type B behavior patterns to ambiguous and specific directions in an art activity. Preliminary studies in the field indicated that Type A behaviors may be elicited by exposure to ambiguous performance standards. === The sample was drawn from fifth-grade students in the public school system of Grady County, Georgia. The 214 fifth-grade students were rated as Type A or Type B by their mathematics teachers. Ten children, five As and five Bs, were selected from each of eight mathematics classes. The final sample consisted of 80 children: 40 As and 40 Bs. === There were four independent measures for each child. One was the Type A/B score (MYTH; Matthews & Angulo, 1980). The second was a peer popularity rating, derived from a sociometric technique. In addition, each child in the sample responded to Plomin's Emotionality, Activity, Sociability, Impulsivity Survey (EASI; Plomin, 1974) and Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT; Kagan et al., 1964). === The dependent measure was an observation schedule that was constructed following a pilot of the activity. Observed behaviors were categorized, with five categories of the Type A behavior pattern identified: time urgency, achievement orientation, aggressive-hostility, tension, and perfectionism. Scores were totals of the number of occurrences of behaviors in each of the five characters. Scores on the five categories were summed for a total score. === The children were observed in two separate situations. In one situation, the children made a paper airplane after ambiguous directions were given. In the second, the children were required to make a paper airplane according to specific directions. === The responses of the Type A and Type B children to both specific and ambiguous directions were observed. There was no difference in the responses of the Type A children to the two sets of directions; however, the Type B exhibited significantly more Type A behaviors in the ambiguous directions condition than in the specific directions condition. === Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-07, Section: B, page: 2796. === Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.