Sensory processing, cardiovascular reactivity, and the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern.

This study investigated the hypothesis that two modes of sensory processing known to elicit integrated patterns of cardiovascular reactivity will arouse exaggerated responses in Type A coronary-prone individuals. 15 Type A and 10 Type B male college students performed on two tasks calling for sensory intake and sensory rejection, respectively, while being monitored for heart rate, blood pressure, and vasomotor response. Contrary to prediction, the tasks failed to differentiate the groups, although each task appeared to elicit the expected pattern of cardiovascular response across groups. It is suggested that sensory processing tasks per se may be insufficiently challenging to elicit the characteristic hyperresponsivity of the Type A.