A More Bias-Proof Measure for the Type a Subcomponent of Exaggerated Interpersonal Control

Abstract

This study reports the development and initial psychometric refinement of a forced choice version of the Way of Life Scale (WOLS), a measure of the coronary prone/Type A behavior pattern (TABP) subcomponent of exaggerated interpersonal control. The format of this new instrument requires respondents to choose one of two items that are of equal "favorability." This method is designed to limit the influence of social desirability and of denial on subjects' test responses. Initial results suggest that scores on the new (forced-choice) version of the WOLS are more similar to scores obtained by the most valid measure of the TABP (i.e., the structured interview) than are the same subjects' scores on the original version of the WOLS. This closer approximation of the forced choice WOLS to the structured interview appears to result from the forced-choice scale'sability to reduce respondents' social desirability and/or denial tendencies. Suggestions are offered for both clinical applications and further research with the new forced-choice scale.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Cattell, R. (1946). Description and measurement of personality. London: World.

Crowne, D. P. , & Marlowe, D. (1964). The approval motive: Studies in evaluative dependence. New York: Wiley.

Dembrowski, T. , & Williams, R. (1989). Definition and assessment of coronary-prone behavior. In N. Schneiderman , P. Kaufmann , & S. M. Weiss (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in cardiovascular behavioral medicine (pp. 554-569). New York: Plenum.

Friedman, H. S. , & Booth-Kewley, S. (1987). The disease-prone personality: A meta-analytic view of the construct. American Psychologist, 42, 539-555.

Friedman, H. S. , & Booth-Kewley, S. (1988). Validity of the type A construct: A reprise. Psychological Bulletin, 104, 381-384.

Rosenman, R. H. (1978). The interview method of assessment of the coronary-prone behavior pattern. In T. M. Dembrowski , S. Weiss , J. Shields , S. G. Haynes , & M. Feinleib (Eds.), Coronary-prone behavior (pp. 55-69). New York: Springer-Verlag.

Wherry, R. J. , & Fryer, D. H. (1949). Buddy ratings: Popularity contest or leadership criterion? Personnel Psychology, 2, 147-159.

Wright, L. (1988). The Type Abehavior pattern and coronary artery disease: Quest for the active ingredients and the elusive mechanism. American Psychologist, 43, 1-13.

Wright, L. , May, K. , & Jackson, K. (1991). Exaggerated social control and its relationship to the Type A behavior pattern as measured by the structured interview. Journal of Research in Personality, 25, 135-136.

10.

Wright, L. , Von Bussmann, K. , Friedman, A. , Khoury, M. , & Owens, F. (1990). Exaggerated social control and its relationship to the Type A behavior pattern. Journal of Research in Personality, 24, 258-269.