Explore roads leading to practice development.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Humans↗
Biomedical subjects
K D Allred
Publications and source records attributed to K D Allred.
Neuroticism, symptom reports, and type A behavior: interpretive cautions for the Framingham Scale.
The Framingham Type A Scale (FTAS) is one of three primary measures of Type A behavior. Unlike the structured interview (SI) and Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), the FTAS is correlated with neuroticism. Further, neuroticism and FTAS scores predict angina-like chest pain complaints but not more definitive coronary heart disease (CHD) end points. Thus, the FTAS may be unique among Type A measures in its susceptibility to the neuroticism-symptom reporting confound. The present study examined associations of the SI, JAS, and FTAS with neuroticism and symptom reporting in two independent samples of undergraduate males. Unlike the SI and JAS, the FTAS was correlated with neuroticism and symptom reporting. Further, the correlations of FTAS scores and symptoms were due to shared variance with neuroticism. The findings are discussed in terms of a possible alternative interpretation of the Framingham Study and the need to consider neuroticism in studies of personality and health.
Adult↗
Blood-pressure responses during social interaction in high- and low-cynically hostile males.
The Cook and Medley Hostility (Ho) Scale has been found to predict the development of coronary heart disease, coronary death, and death from other causes. Enhanced physiological responsiveness among high-Ho subjects may represent a link between hostility and health. The present study examined the systolic and diastolic blood-pressure (SBP, DBP) and heart-rate (HR) responses of high- and low-Ho undergraduate males while they presented their position and listened to their partner's opposing position in a current events discussion task. Compared to low-Ho subjects, the high-Ho group displayed larger SBP and DBP responses. These results and others suggest that cynical hostility is associated with greater physiological responses to interpersonal stressors.
Arousal↗
Cardiovascular reactivity and interpersonal influence: active coping in a social context.
Previous studies have demonstrated that effortful attempts to secure positive outcomes or avoid negative outcomes produce significant increases in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR). Although these effects of active coping on cardiovascular reactivity are central in current psychosomatic theories, virtually all of the research to date has used impersonal, asocial tasks. Our two studies examined the cardiovascular effects of effortful attempts to influence other people. In Study 1, male subjects attempting to influence the opinions of their discussion partner to improve their own chances of winning money displayed significantly greater SBP, DBP, and HR reactivity. In Study 2, we obtained similar effects on SBP and DBP reactivity in men and women, while both preparing an influence attempt and making that attempt. Furthermore, reactivity levels were larger as the magnitude of incentive for successful persuasion increased. Implications of this interpersonal equivalent of active coping for the development of cardiovascular disease are discussed.
Blood Pressure↗
The hardy personality: cognitive and physiological responses to evaluative threat.
Hardy persons are hypothesized to be resistant to stress-induced illness, because of their adaptive cognitive style and a subsequently reduced level of physiological arousal. We assessed the cognitive and physiological responses of high and low hardy male undergraduates to a challenging task under high and low evaluative threat. As predicted, hardy subjects endorsed more positive self-statements than did low hardy subjects in the high threat condition. High hardy subjects also reported fewer negative self-statements overall, but this was attributable to the overlap of measures of hardiness and neuroticism. Hardy subjects displayed marginally lower arousal while waiting for the task to begin, but this finding did not approach significance when neuroticism was controlled. Hardy subjects also had higher levels of systolic blood pressure, perhaps because of their active coping efforts. Results support the hypothesized hardy cognitive style but raise questions about the type and timing of organismic strain linking hardiness and health.
Arousal↗