Interpersonal and electrocardiographic responses of Type A's and Type B's in competitive socioeconomic games.

Forty-eight subjects classified as either Type A (coronary-prone) or Type B (coronary-resistant) exchanged points worth money with a computer-simulated opponent while an electrocardiogram was computer-monitored and scored. Type A's were more aggressive during the socioeconomic exchanges than were Type B's. The more aggressive a subject during the interactions the greater was the shift toward depression of the ST segment of the electrocardiogram. Despite the relationship between aggression and ST response, and the greater aggressiveness of Type A's during the interactions, Type A's and Type B's did not differ significantly in ST response.