Term of Award

Spring 1991

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Psychology

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Gary McClure

Committee Member 1

John Murray

Committee Member 2

Bill McIntosh

Committee Member 3

Richard Rogers

Abstract

Seventy-two male college students classified as Type A or Type B on the basis of scores on the Jenkins Activity Survey - Form T (JAS-T) were given the Cook and Medley Hostility Scale and divided into four groups on the basis of test scores: A/High Hostile; A/Low Hostile; B/High Hostile; and, B/Low Hostile. Subjects were then randomly assigned to either Group I: Controllable Event or Group II: Uncontrollable Event. Pre- and post-experimental one-minute time estimates and pre- and post-experimental one-minute key tapping sessions were recorded for all subjects. During the experimental condition, subjects in Group I: Controllable Event estimated a sequence of one-minute task and rest conditions. During the task condition, subjects tapped the "t" key on a computer keyboard to accrue points displayed on the computer monitor. Subjects in Group II: Uncontrollable Event received inaccurate feedback from their tapping of the computer "t" key during their second and third task conditions. In other words, during some of their task trials, subjects in Group IT tapped the "t" key, but the computer did not display all the taps made on the screen counter. In these trials, the onscreen feedback was only partially contingent on the behavior of the subject, i.e., the subject was not in full "control." Two separate dependent variables, time estimation in seconds and number of taps, were analyzed in this design. No significant interactions or main effects were found for tapping behavior. Results showed a population difference for time estimation for subjects in one presentation order of Group II: Uncontrollable Event. However, a significant two-way interaction between Type A/Type B and High Hostile/Low Hostile subjects was present for all five measures of time estimation. This interaction does not support the hypothesis that high hostile Type A subjects exposed to an uncontrollable event will significantly underestimate time compared to other subjects. The results do suggest that High Hostility may affect a Type B individual's ability to estimate one minute and that Low Hostility may affect a Type A individual's ability to estimate one minute. Further research is needed to explore this possible relationship.

Copyright

This work is archived and distributed under the repository's standard copyright and reuse license for Theses and Dissertations authored 2005 and prior, available here. Under this license, end-users may copy, store, and distribute this work without restriction. For questions related to additional reuse of this work, please contact the copyright owner. Copyright owners who wish to review or revise the terms of this license, please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu.

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