Evaluative instructions and interpersonal aggression in the type A behavior pattern

The aim of this study was to examine aggression responses (Buss aggression paradigm) of type A and type B males under two different kinds of evaluative instructions. Extreme groups of type A and type B college‐age males were each subdivided into two groups receiving different sets of instructions before the start of the task. One of the sets of instructions informed the subject that the given task would serve to evaluate his teaching abilities (evaluation condition). The other set of instructions was limited to giving the subject a description of the procedure of the task (nonevaluation condition). No significant main effects were obtained in the aggression responses of type A vs. type B subjects across the two instruction conditions, but a significant interaction for the baseline set of trials was observed between the behavior patterns (type A vs. type B) and the type of instructions given (evaluations vs. nonevaluation) for the intensity of the aggression response. Under evaluation instructions, type As showed greater intensity values in their aggression responses than type Bs under the same condition and greater intensity values than type As under nonevaluation instructions. In contrast, type Bs showed a greater intensity in their aggression responses under nonevaluation instructions than under evaluation instructions. Results were discussed in terms of the self‐appraisal hypothesis of Strube et al. (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52:956–974, 1987) of the nature of type A behavior.