APPENDIX A

ITEMS CONTAINED IN THE ACHIEVEMENT STRIVING (AS) AND

IMPATIENCE-IRRITABILITY (1D) SCALES OF
THE JENKINS ACTIVITY SURVEY

ACHIEVEMENT STRIVING

JAS 2

JAS 17

JAS 19
JAS 20

JAS 30

How often does your job “stir you into action”? - less often than mosc people’s jobs, about average,
more than most people’s jobs

Nowadays, do you consider yourself to be? - definitely more hard-driving and cc mpetitive, probably
more hard-driving and competitive, probably more relaxed and easygoing, definitely more relaxed and

easygoing

Would your spouse (or closest friend) rate your general level of activity as - too slow, about average,
too active?

Would people you know well agree that you take your work too seriously? - definitely yes, probably
yes, probably no, definitely no

Do you ever set deadlines or quotas for yourself at work or at home? - no; yes, but only occasionally;
yes, once a week or more

Items 42 and 46 ask the respondent to compare him/herself
with the average worker in his/her present occupation

JAS 42 In amount of effort put forth, I give. - much more effort, a little more effort, a little less effort, much
less effort

JAS 46 I approach life in general. - much more seriously, a little more seriously, a little less seriously, much
less seriously

IMPATIENCE-IRRITABILITY

JAS 4 Howoften are you faced with minor (or major) annoyances or frustrations? - several times a day, about
once a day, a few times a week, once a week, once a month or less

JAS9 When you listen to someone talking, and this person takes TOO LONG to come to the point, how
often do you FEEL like hurrying the person along? - frequently, occasionally, almost never

JAS 12 How often do you find yourself hurrying to get places even when there is plenty of time: - frequently,
occasionally, almost never

JAS 14. When you have to “wait in line” at a restaurant, a store, or the post office, what do you do? - accept
itcalraly, feel impatient but not show it, feel so impatient that someone watching can tell I am restless,
refuse to wait in line, and find ways to avoid such delays

JAS 22 Would people you know well agree that you tend to get irritated easily? - definitely yes, probably yes,
probably no, definitely no

JAS 23 Would people who know you well agree that you tend to do most things in a hurry? - definitely yes,
probably yes, probably no, definitely no

JAS 26 How is your temper nowadays? - fiery and hard to control, strong but controtiable, no problem, I

almost never get angry

Ai

US. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1994 - $60-063/90001


confirmatory factor analyses were evaluated to help
determine the construct validity of the AS and II
scales.

The connections have not been well established
between global, overall levels of TABP and individu-
als’ job performance or educational success. Specifi-
cally, Ivancevich and Matteson (1988) described TABP
employees as “workaholics” who are constantly seek-
ing to accomplish more and improve their perfor-
mance. In certain organizational settings, those
qualities may result in higher levels of performance or
greater achievement. Matthews, Helmreich, Beane,
and Lucker (1980), using the Jenkins Activity Survey,
demonstrated that scientists possessing the TABP had
a greater number of publications and more citations
than their Type B colleagues. Taylor, Locke, Lee, and
Gist (1984) also found Type A faculty to be more
productive. In academic settings, Type A’s have higher
grades (Waldron etal., 1980) and earn more academic
honors (Glass, 1977). In contrast to those results,
Shull, et al., (1988) found that che traditional JAS
scores were unrelated to performance in a group of
pilots involved in a Navy flight training program.
Using supervisor ratings of the job performance of
white-collar workers, Jamal (1985) found that Type
A’s exerted greater effort on the job; however, Type
B’s were rated higher on quality of performance.
There were no differences between the 2 groups on
quantity of performance and promotions received. In
a field study of sales personnel, Ivancevich, Matteson,
and Smith (1983) found that Type A’s were more
ambitious, but did not differ from Type B’s in perfor-
mance. Matteson, Ivancevich, and Smith (1984) found
that Type A life insurance sales personnel did not
differ from their Type B counterparts on 3 objective
sales measures.

In this study, the performance criterion was perfor-
mance in the FAA Academy screening program for
newly hired air traffic controllers. Applicants for the
job of air traffic controller with the FAA are generally
required to pass a battery of paper-and-pencil selec-
tion tests that primarily measure cognitive aptitudes.
At the time of this study, less than 10% of those who
initially applied to become air traffic control special-
ists were selected (Manning, Della Rocco, & Bryant,
1989) to enter a second-stage screening process de-

signed to eliminate individuals lacking in aptitudes
not easily measured using paper-and-pencil cognitive
tests. While there has been considerable research con-
cerning some of the cognitive abilities that predict
success in the FAA Academy (Rock, Dailey, Ozur,
Boone, & Pickrel, 1982; Schroeder, Dollar, & Nye,
1990; VanDeventer, 1984), evidence is more limited
concerning the relationship between personality or
behavioral cheracteristics and performance. Because
the JAS-AS scale provides a measure of achievement
striving, we hypothesized that those scores would be
predictive of performance in the Academy screen
program.

As with job performance, previous research con-
cerning the relationship between Type A behavior and
job satisfaction has been inconsistent. A positive rela-
tionship between Type A characteristics and intrinsic
job satisfaction was demonstrated by Day and Bedeian
(1991), who used a different measure of TABP than
the JAS. However, using the Framingham Type A
scale, Matteson, Ivancevich, and Smith (1984) found
that Type A’s and B’s did not exhibit different levels
of job satisfaction. We sought to determine whether
Type A individuals differ from Type B’s (at the
beginning of their careers) in their expectations re-
garding job satisfaction in the future. An attitudinal
measure that has been found to be significantly corre-
lated with FAA Academy success is self-reporced per-
formance expectations at the beginning of the screen
program (Collins, Nye, & Manning, 1992). We ex-
pected that achievement striving scores would be
positively associated with entrants’ expectations for
success in their careers.

Finally, we wanted to develop a more complete
understanding of the association of TABP, especially
the AS and II constructs, with regard to smoking and
alcohol consumption, and coping strategies for deal-
ing with stress. A study of college students (Jordan &
Perry, 1987) found that Type A behavior (measured
by JAS-AB scores) was not related to such behavioral
risk factors as smoking, alcohol consumption, and
lack of physical exercise. However, with a sample of
healthy, middle-aged men where Type A behavior
pattern was determined by structured interview, the
group classified as Type A reported significantly greater
consumption of alcohol (Camargo, Vranizan,


Relationships between JAS and BQ items. Results
shown in Table 2 indicated a significant correlation
between future job satisfaction — “Extent to which
you expect to be satisfied with your job” (JOBSAT)—
and AS scores (7=.29), but not the I] scale scores (7=-
.05). In addition, overall Type A and HDC subscale
scores were significantly correlated with expectations
of future job satisfaction. Thus, individuals who were
achievement striving and hard-driving/competitive
were more likely to report greater expectations of
future job satisfaction.

Table 2 also shows, as expected, that AS scores were
significantly associated (r=.19) with the measure of
expected job performance (PEREXP). The JAS-HDC
and JAS-AB scale scores were similarly correlated.
Thus, in addition to expectations of greater job satis-
faction, individuals who were achievement striving
and hard-driving/competitive expected that they were
likely to perform better on the job.

Consistent with the findings of Jordan and Perry
(1987) for their sample of college students, overall
Type A behavior pattern (JAS-AB) was not signifi-
cantly related to reported alcohol (IMBIB) or tobacco
consumption (TOBACC). However, the II scale scores
were associated with alcohol consumption (r=.17).
This finding adds another dimension to the Spence et
al. (1987) suggestion that the impatience-izritability
scale might predict health problems; namely that the
I} scale scores were associated with certain life-style
characteristics, which can also lead to potential healtt.
problems.

The AS and Ill scale scores had different patterns of
correlations with the entrants’ preferred method(s) of
handling anxiety/stress. Higher AS scores were associ-
ated with the preferences of engaging in a physical
activity (PHYACT; 7.17) and talking with a friend,
co-worker, or family member (TALK; r=.24). Simi-
larly, relationships were found between the JAS-AB
and JAS-HDC scale scores and these methods of
coping with stress. Thus for our sample, greater over-
all Type A behavior pattern was related to a higher use
of both exercise and social support as methods of
coping. The later finding was consistent with studies
(Lobel, 1988; Chesney, Black, Chadwick, &
Rosenman, 1981) that found those identified as Type
A’s to be more extroverted. By comparison, I scale

scores were higher for those who more frequently
ccnsumed alcohol in response to being nervous or
tense (ALCODR; r<.17). As for alcohol consumption
(IMBIB), the overall measure of Type A behavior
pattern was not significantly correlated with alcohol
consumption as a response to feeling nervous or tense.

Partial correlations, controlling for the effects of
the JAS-SI, JAS-JI, and JAS-HDC scales, were deter-
mined to establish the residual relationships of the AS
and II scales with the attitudinal and behavioral mea-
sures. As shown in Table 2, the partial correlations
were nonsignificant for achievement striving with job
performance expectations, the preference for engag-
ing in physical activity when nervous or tense, and the
preference for social interaction when anxious. How-
ever, the AS scores accounted fer significant variance
in job satisfaction expectations. Most of the associa-
tion between II and alcohol consumption patterns

was not explained by SI, JI, or HDC levels.
CONCLUSIONS

While ATCSs represent a select group with respect
to certain cognitive abilities, their JAS scores were
similar to overall normative response patterns re-
ported by Jenkins, et al. (1971). The pateern of ATCS
scores differed from those of certain other occupa-
tional groups (administrator and clerical) as well as
other aviation trainees (Navy flight students).

Results of this study provide further confirmatory
evidence of the existence of the AS and II factors in the
Jenkins Activity Survey. Model testing procedures
clearly suggested that the 2 constructs were
distinguishable aspects of the JAS responses for a
sample of trainees at the FAA Academy screen program.
Discriminant validity of the scales representing positive
(AS) and negative (II) components of TABP was
further demonstrated by the differential correlations
between these recently developed scale scores and
various attitudinal and biographical data. The
favorable, work-related correlates of achievement
striving included self-expectations of both future job
satisfaction and better job performance. By contrast,
impatience-irritability levels were found to be slightiy
higher for those who reported greater usage of alcohol.
The findings of this study suggest that relationships



data and the model, the ratio of chi square to degrees
of freedom index (X°/d§), and the adjusted goodness-
of-fit index (AGFI). One set of criteria (Hoelter,
1983) for an acceptable model include a X°/df ratio of
less than 2.0 and an AGFI of .90 or greater. Initially,
an analysis was performed in which the 14 items,
shown in Appendix A, were considered to be 1 factor.
This unidimensional factor model was then compared
to the hypothesized 2-factor structure in which each
item loaded only on 1 factor. The third model con-
tained the AS and II factors, but each item was allowed
to load on both factors if both loadings were statisti-
cally significant. The chi square difference test (Bentler
& Bonett, 1980) was also utilized to contrast the
models and determine the best model based on good-
ness-of-fit characteristics.

Pearson correlation coefficients were determined
berween JAS scores, from the traditional scales as well
as AS and II, and a) Academy performance measures
and b) relevant items from the Biographical Ques-
tionnaire to determine whether the observed relation-
ships were consistent with expectations based on the
findings from earlier research. We were especially
interested in determining the extent to which AS
scores predicted success in the Academy screening
program. Furthermore, a multi-stage Bonferroni pro-
cedure (Crosbie, 1986; Larzelere & Mulaik, 1977)

was applied to the set of correlations to prevent
inflating the Type I error rate. Specifically, for this
study, the approximate r required for the p< .05 level
of significance was .15 for a one-tailed test and .16 for
a two-tailed test. While the use of single items from
the BQ provided preliminary information concerning
the associations with the JAS scales, future research
should evaluate these relationships using more psy-
chometrically reliable measures of the attitudinal and
behavioral risk factors.

RESULTS

Average JAS scores. The mean standard scores
obtained for the ATCS trainees fell into the
predesignated 55th, 45th, 50th and 50th percentiles
for AB, SI, HDC, and Jl respectively (Jenkins, et al.,
1979). Mean standard scores were also compared to
occupations in the Western Collaborative Group
Study (Jenkins, et al., 1979), a large scale study
concerning the prediction of coronary heart dis-
ease. We found that ATCSs were lower than ad-
ministrators on the overall measure of Type A
behavior (JAS-AB) and each of the 3 subscales,
higher on all 4 compared with clerical personnel,
but very similar to other professional/technical
personnel, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1,

8-5
ADMINISTRATORS:

e|

OMNDOOHW ONPOZSAMW

AB Si
JAS SCALES

JAS SCORES BY OCCUPATIONAL GROUP

Ji HDC



Thoresen, & Wood, 1986). By contrast, Burke and
Weir (1980), using the structured interview for clas-
sification, reported that Type A managers were less

likely to be smokers and regularly consumed less
alcohol.

METHOD

Subjects and Instruments. The sample of 474 had
a mean age of 26.1 years (SD = 3.0 years), and
included 13.1% women and 8.0% minorities. The
JAS and a biographical questionnaire (BQ) were ad-
ministered to Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS)
students during the third day following their entry
into the Nonradar Screen Program (NRSP) at the
FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, OK. The NRSP
was the second stage of the selection process for
ATCSs. At the time of this study, the screen was a 9-
week program and assessed entrants’ ability to learn
air traffic procedures and then to apply those proce-
dures during a series of laboratory simulations, not
involving radar. Performance in this program in-
cluded a final paper-and-pencil test of air traffic
control skills called the Controller Skills Test (CST)
and the final Academy composite grade (COMP)
based on the CST, academic tests, and technical and
instructor assessments of student performance on
laboratory problems. More specifically, the percent-
ages assigned to each component for determining the
final grade were as follows: the CST (20%), academic
tests (20%), and the two evaluations of performance
on the best five of six graded laboratory problems -
instructor assessment (30%) and technical assessment
(30%). A final grade of 70.0 was required for success-
ful completion of the NRSP.

The BQ contains a total of 145 items, some of
which provide information concerning the entrants’
prior educational and work experiences. Another sec-
tion of the BQ measures attitudes regarding self-
expectations of job satisfaction and job performance.
General information is also requested regarding life-
style issues such as alcohol and tobacco usage. This
questionnaire has been used to evaluate the role of
biographical factors in screening/training success
(Collins, Manning, & Taylor, 1984; Collins, et ai.,
1992). A single item “extent to which you expect to be

satisfied with your job” with a 5-point rating scale
(from “not at all” to “to a very great extent”) was used
to measure job satisfaction expectations. Self-expected
job performance was determined by the sum of ratings
on 2 BQ items, “how long it will take to become fully
effective in your current job (from “much longer” to
“much less time than others”)” and “percentile of
performance expected compared to all ATCSs (from
“the lowest 10%” to “the top 10%”)”. Alcohol con-
sumption was measured by the combined responses to
2 items on the BQ; the frequency of use (5 categories;
from “non-drinker” to “every day”) and the usual
number of alcoholic drinks per occasion (4 categories;
from “1-2” to “12 or more”). Tobacco usage was
indicated by the amount of tobacco smoked daily
(from “non-smoker” to “2 packs or more per day”).
The sample was comprised of 18.4% non-drinkers
and 81.9% nonsmokers. Respondents to the BQ also
indicated how frequently (from “almost never” to
“almost always”) they engaged in certain activities
when they feel “nervous or tense.” The behavioral
options listed included: a) using a relaxation tech-
nique such as meditation; b) engaging in physical
activity such as jogging or exercise; c) having an
alcoholic drink; and d) talking with a friend, co-
worker, or family member.

The JAS item responses were transformed into unit
weights in order to compensate for the varying num-
ber of response categories, which ranged from 3 to 5,
thus applying the scoring procedure suggested for the
AS and II scales by Spence, et al. (1987). Standard
procedures established by Jenkins, Zyzanski, and
Rosenman (1979) were used to calculate scores for the
4 traditional scales; the JAS-AB, JAS-SI, JAS-HDC,
and JAS-JI. The items from the JAS that comprised
the AS and II scales are listed in Appendix A.

Analyses. Mean standard JAS scores were com-
puted for the ATCS trainees and compared to norma-
tive data, as reported by Jenkins, et al. (1979) and with
average scores of U. S. Navy student aviators reported
by Shull, et al. (1988).

A series of confirmatory factor analyses were per-
formed to test for the presence of the AS and II
constructs. The goodness-of-fit measures obtained
from LISREL VI (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1986) in-
cluded the chi square statistic for the fit between the



meet the criteria for an acceptable model. The second
model, in which correlated AS and II scales were
postulated, had a X*/df index of 2.51 with an AGFI of
-92. The chi-square difference test (X? (1)=96.40,
p<-001) also indicated that the 2-factor model con-
taining the AS and II constructs represented a better
fit of the data than the single factor model. Each of the
individual items had a significant loading (¢> 2.0) on
its hypothesized construct and the estimated true
correlation was .50 between the AS and II scales. The
reliability for each scale, as indicated by the coefficient
of determination, was .70 for the AS items and .76 for
the II items. The third model, allowing for correlated
factors and items to load on both factors if both
loadings were statistically significant, was a signifi-
cant improvement (X* (2)=39.41, p<.001) over the
second model and the goodness-of-fit indices were
somewhat better (X’/df=2.05 and AGFI=.94). The
correlation was .51 between the AS and II constructs.

Item 42, “Amount of effort put forth in your present
occupation” represented the highest loading (A = .64)
on AS, but was inversely related (A= -.38) with II.
Item 23, “People who know you well agree that you
tend to do must things in a hurry,” was positively
related to both constructs. Thus, the post hoc analysis
indicated that only two items had significant loadings
on both factors.

Prediction of Academy success. Consistent with
the Shull, et al. (1988) study, significant correla-
tions were not found between the traditional JAS
scales and overall screen performance as measured
by final Academy grades (COMP). As shown in
Table 2, the highest correlation (7=.10) was be-
tween the JAS-SI scale and the CST scores. These
results are in contrast with the Spence, et al. (1989)
study in which the AS scale predicted academic
achievement in college.

TABLE 2 - MEANS AND CORRELATIONS OF JAS MEASURES WITH SCREEN/TRAINING

SCORES AND BIOGRAPHICAL VARIABLES

VARIABLE MEAN $.D. AS it AB SI it HDC
AS 25.6 3.6 _

i 20.7 3.9 29 _

AB 234.5 69.3 -68 43 _—

St 163.3 57.5 24 67 51 _

ji 221.5 42.3 26 -03 17 -06 —

HDC 122.6 28.6 -62 10 59 V7 -16 —
COMP 73.2 11.7 -.02 01 04 .09 -.09 .04
CST 75.6 14.6 -.08 04 -.00 10 -.03 .06
JOBSAT 3.9 0.7 29 (.18)  -.05 -21 -.05 15 25
PEREXP 78 1.2 19 (03) -.00 21 -03 08 27
IMBIB 4.4 1.5 -.06 -17 (14) .04 VW 01 -.01
TOBACC 1.4 0.8 C6 09 08 04 -.05 .06
RELAX 1.6 0.9 -.03 -.06 -.01 -.43 .06 -02
PHYACT 3.3 1.0 -17 (05) -.03 18 -.0T 13 21
ALCODR 2.1 1.0 -.02 -17 (15) .04 -09 -01 -.01
TALK 3.8 0.9 -24 (.14) 04 18 -03 08 21

Note: Pearson correlation coefficients, using Bonferroni multi-stage procedure, were significant at
-15 or greater (p < .05, one-tailed test) and .16 or greater (p < .05, two-tailed test). AS = Achieve-
ment Striving; 1! = Impatience-Irritability; AB = overall TABP; S! = Speed and Impatience; Ji = Job
involvement; and HDC = Hard-driving and Competitive. () values are partial correlations

controlling for SI, Ji, and HDC scale scores.


-AD-A283 813

OO a

DOT/FAA/AM-94/13

Office of Aviation Medicine

Washington, D.C. 20591

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nLECTE

)

sue 2 41994

F

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!

Relationships of Type A
Behavior With Biographical
Characteristics and Training
Performance of Air Traffic
Controllers

L.G. Nye
DJ. Schroeder
C.S. Dollar

Civil Aeromedical Institute
Federal Aviation Administration

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125

July 1994

Final Report

This document is available to the public
through the National Technical Information
Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

grie oust cTY INSPECTED 8

©

U.S. Department
of Transportation

Federal Aviation
Administration

94 5 23 07 3



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between TABP and the development of health concerns
might be confounded by significant relationships
among TABP components, such as impatience-
irritability, and life-style behaviors which also can
represent potential health risks.

This study supperts the viewpoint that Type A
behavior pattern is a multidimensional construct in
which only some of the components are associated
with potentially negative attitudes and behaviors.
Clearly, research that attempts to measure only overall
TABP risks missing significant subscale correlations.
Similarly, some of the inconsistency found across
previous studies could have been the result of sample
differences in the combinations of the “toxic” and
“non-toxic” subscale levels which could not be ac-
counted for wken using overall TABP scores.

In general, future research using a longitudinal
design with this sample could determine whether the
JAS subscales are predictive of health outcomes and
employee attitudes such as job satisfaction and self-
reported “burnout”. This study provided base line
data for potential use in examining changes in TABP
over time and for other research. For example,
DeFrank, Jenkins, and Rose (1987), using data from
the Air Traffic Controller Health Change Study (Rose,
Jenkins, & Hurst, 1978), reported a possible causal
link between stress and greater alcohol consumption
that, in turn, resulted in elevated diastolic blood
pressure levels. Given our results, a hypothesis would
be that individuals who either exhibited (at base line)
or developed higher levels of impatience-irritability
are more susceptible to stressors at work and likely to
engage in greater consumption of alcohol. Thus, the
nature of the TABP relationship with the develop-
ment of hypertension could be shown to be limited to
specific components of TABP and indirect; in that the
correlation was mediated by factors such as workplace
stress and individual behavioral patterns (e.g., alcohol
consumption).

Overall, the ATCSs in this study were not indi-
rectly “de-selected” to any significant extent during
the Academy screen based on their self-reported levels
of Type A behavior pattern. Similarly, evidence con-
cerning the utility of achievement striving as a predic-
tor of training performance was not supported in this
setting, possibly because the sample comprised an

already highly qualified group in terms of aptitude for
the occupation. Also, the TABP scales and pe:for-
mance criteria were examined across a relatively short
time-frame of less than 3 months. As illustrated by
Helmreich, Sawin, and Carsrud (1986), job-related
personality measures can exhibit larger associations
with longer-term. rather than shorter-term, job per-
formance. Thus, potential relationships should be
explored between TABP scores and more long-term
job performance criteria including on-the-job train-
ing success, and subsequent promotion to, and perfor-
mance as, supervisory ATCSs in the FAA.

REFERENCES

Bentler, P. M., & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance
tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covari-
ance structure. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 588-606.

Bluen, S. D., Barling, J. & Burns, W. (1990). Predicting
sales performance, job satisfaction, and depression
by using the Achievement Strivings and Impa-
tience-Ircitability dimensions of Type A behavior.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 75, 212-6.

Burke, R.J., & Weir, T. (1980). The Type A experience:
Occupational and life demands, satisfaction, and
well-being. Journal of Human Stress, 6, 28-38.

Burns, W., & Bluen, $.D. (1992). Assessing a multidi-
mensional Type A behavior scale. Personality and
Individual Differences, 13, 977-86.

Camargo, C. A., Vranizan, K. M., Thoresen, C. E., 8&
Wood, P. D. (1986). Type A behavior pattern and
alcchol intake in middle-aged men. Psychosomatic
Medicine, 48, 575-81.

Chesney, M. A., Black, G. W., Chadwick, J. M., &
Rosenman, R. H. (1981). Psychological correlates
of the Type A behavior pattern. Journal of Behav-
ioral Medicine, 4, 217-29.

Chidester, M. A. (1990). Trends and individual differ-
ences in response to short-haul flight operations.
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 61,
132-8.


TABLE 1 - CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSES USING MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD
METHOD FOR HYPOTHESIZED ACHIEVEMENT STRIVING (AS) AND IMFATIENCE-
IRRITABILITY (11) SCALES OF THE JENKINS ACTIVITY SURVEY

Unidimensional AS and ill - AS and fi -
14 Items Orthogonal Obl:que
Item Loadings Item Loadings
Items AS i AS tt
ACHIEVEMENT STRIVING
JAS- 2 15 18 19
JAS- 17 47 54 53
JAS- 13 36 41 42
JAS- 20 39 48 48
JAS- 30 28 38 37
JAS- 42 18 38 64 -38
JAS- 46 39 53 51
IMPATIENCE-IRRITABILITY
JAS- 4 25 29 29
JAS- 9 41 45 43
JAS- 12 49 52 51
JAS- 14 29 35 35
JAS- 22 49 56 58
JAS- 23 56 54 26 35
JAS- 26 46 53 57
Degrees of freedom 77 76 74
Chi square 287.50 (p<.001) 191.10 (p<.001) 151.69 (p<.001)

Adjusted goodness-of-fit 874

+922 .935

CHI SQUARE DIFFERENCE TESTS:

Model 1 with Model 2;
X? (1)= 96.40 p<.001

Note: Decimals of item loadings are omitted.

Model 2 with Model 3;
X? (2)= 39.41 p<.001

ATCS scores on each of the JAS scales were com-
pared to the group of Navy student aviators in flight
training (Shull, et al., 1988); 234.5 versus 276.4 on
the overall JAS measure (JAS-AB), 163.3 versus 169.7
for speed and impatience (JAS-SI), 122.6 versus 123.6
on hard driving and competitive (JAS-HDC), and
221.5 versus 284.2 for job involvement (JAS-J1). The
results of t-tests indicated significant between-group
differences for comparisons between the ATCS en-
trants and the Navy aviator students on the JAS-AB
and JAS-JI scales. The ATCS group had 2 lower

average JAS-AB score (#-7.2, p<.001), as well as a
lower mean JAS-JI score (-19.4, p<.001). These
results suggest that while recently-hired ATCS stu-
dents possess average levels of the TABP overall, they
exhibit significantly less job involvement, when com-
pared to Naval aviation candidates.

Confirmatory factor analysis. As shown in Table
1, the X°/df index was 3.73 and the AGFI was .87 for
the model in which all 14 items were considered to
comprise a single factor. Thus, the goodness-of-fit
characteristics of the unidimensional factor did not


REtaTIONsHips OF Type A BeHavion WITH BlOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND
TRAINING PERFORMANCE OF AiR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIALISTS

A considerable amount of research surrounds the
Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) as a measure of Type A
behavior pattern (TABP), coronary proneness, and
other health problems. More recently, a revised JAS
scoring procedure has measured Achievement Striv-
ing (AS) and Impatience-Irritability (II) scales, which
have been significantly and differentially related to
job performance, academic achievement, job satisfac-
tion, and negative affect (¢.g., depression). The first
purpose of the present study was to validate the
existence of the AS and II scales as constructs with a
sample of subjects from an occupation that is quite
different from most previous studies. Traditionally,
research concerning the selection of Air Traffic Con-
trol Specialists (ATCSs) has focused on the role of
cognitive abilities and biographicai/ demographic fac-
tors. As part of an expanded program of research
(Collins, Schroeder, & Nye, 1991; Nye & Collins,
1993; Schroeder, Broach, & Young, 1993), we have
been evaluating the importance of personality traits
that have historically demonstrated some utility for
predicting academic or job success in other settings.
Therefore, the second purpose of this study was to
dezermine the extent to which the JAS scale scores
predicted the performance of students in the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) Academy screen. Ad-
ditionally, this study was designed to provide infor-
mation concerning the relationship between the JAS
measures and 2 attitudinal measures; job satisfaction
expectations and self-reported performance expecta-
tions at the beginning of the Academy screen. Lastly,
we wanted to examine the association of TABP, espe-
cially the AS and II constructs, with regard to certain
health-related activities, (e.g., smoking and alcohol
consumption) and coping strategies for dealing with
stress.

Individuals who possess the Type A behavior pat-
tern are described as being impatient, competitive,
hard driving, and time-pressured. A commonly used
measure of TABP is the JAS, a self-report measure
that was developed by Jenkins, Zyzanski, and
Rosenman (1971, 1979) as a substitute for the
more costly, time-consuming psychiatric interview

used to measure coronary prone behavior. The JAS
provides an overall global measure of Type A behavior
(JAS-AB), along with subscales measuring speed and
impatience (JAS-SI), hard-driving and competitive-
ness (JAS-HDC), and job involvement (JAS-JI). As
part of their analysis of the relationship berween the
TABP and achievement, Pred, Helmreich, and Spence
(1986) demonstrated the presence of 2 distinct fac-
tors. One, which they labeled Achievement Striving
(AS), was significantly related to the overall grade
point average of students (Spence, Helmreich, 8&
Pred, 1987) and to scientific productivity (Helmreich,
Spence, & Pred, 1988). The second, Impatience and
Irritability (II), measured more negative qualities and
was correlated with the self-reported presence of a
number of health symptoms (Helmreich, et al., 1988).
Bluen, Barling, and Burns (1990), using the AS and IT
measures of the JAS, found that the AS predicted sales
performance and job satisfaction, while II scale scores
were positively correlated with depression. In a study
involving a survey of airline crew members, higher AS
scores were associated with better performance rat-
ings, while higher IT levels were related to increased
tension and lower quality of sleep (Chidester, 1990).

These findings, along with more recent research by
Burns and Bluen (1992), reflect trends to view TABP
as a multidimensional construct comprised of both
“toxic” and “non-toxic” components and to expand
the initial research that examined the relationship of
TABP with coronary heart disease (Friedman &
Rosenman, 1959) to include the correlations between
TABP and various employee reactions in the work
environment. Additional research is needed to clarify
the presence of the AS and I] scales on the JAS in
different populations and provide further evidence
to support the use of those scales as measures of
positive achievement and poor health, as suggested
by Helmreich, Spence, and Pred (1988). in this
study, the ATCS scores for the traditional JAS
scales were compared with both occupational norms
Qenkins, 1979) and the results of a recent study of
U. S. Navy students in flight training (Shull,
Dolgin, & Gibb, 1988). Subsequently, a series of

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Technical Report Documentation Page

7. Report No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

DOT/FAA/AM-94/13

2. Government Accession No.

4. Tite anc Subtiie 5. Report Date

Relationships of Type A Behavior with Biographical Characteristics and | July 1994

Training Performance of Air Traffic Control Specialists

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s)
LG. Nye, D.J. Schroeder, and C.S. Dollar

8. Performing Organization Report No.

§. Performing Organization Name and Address
FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

P.O. Box 25082
Oklahoma City, OK 73125

12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Office of Aviation Medicine
Federal Aviation Administration
800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code

76. Supprememal Notes
This work was performed under Task AM-B-94-HRR-122

16. Abstract

While there has been a considerable amount of research concerning the relationships between various cognitive
measures and the selection and subscquent performance of Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs), data
concerning the potential importance of personality factors are quite limited. As part of an expanded research
program, selected pzrsonality measures and biographical questionnaires have been administered to ATCSs at the
time of their entry into the FAA Academy Nonradar Screen Program. A considerable body of research surrounds
the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) as a measure of Type A behavior, coronary proneness, and other health problems.
More recently, a revised JAS scoring procedure has been developed for Achievement Striving (AS) and
Impatience-Irritability (II} scales; those scales have been significantly and differentially related to job
performance, academic achievement, job satisfaction, and negative affect (e.g., depression). The JAS and a
biographical question naire were administered to 474 ATCS students at the beginning of the nine-week screening
program. Scores on the traditional JAS, AS, and II scales were compared with measures of FAA Academy
performance, and attitudina! and biographical data. Analyses of the JAS questions confirmed the presence of the
AS and Ii factors. In contrast to previous research, which documented a positive relationship between AS and
academic achievement in college, correlations between AS and Academy achievement were non-significant. It
may be chat in less academic settings, achievement striving is a relatively less important predictor of training
success compared to specialized cognitive abilities. The AS scores were significantly correlated with
self-reported expectations of job performance and satisfaction. II scores were related to a number of life-style
behaviors, including alcohol consumption. Results provide further evidence in support of the existence of the AS
and II dimensions of the JAS. Concurrent validity of the rwo components with the criterion measures was
partially supported in the present setting. Given the historical use of the JAS and current support for the existence
of the new scales, longitudinal studies could examine the effectiveness of the JAS in predicting both the long-term
job success of air traffic controllers and prospective health-related probli ns that might arise.

(17. Key Words T 78. Distiaation Statement
Air Traffic Control Document is available to the public
Type A Bekavior Pattern through the National Technical
Health Behavior Information Service, Springfield,
Personnel Training Virginia, 22161

79. Security Classi. (ot this report)
Unclassified

20. Secunty Classil. (of this page)

Unclassified

1, No. of Pages

f i4

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72)

Reproduction of completed page authorized



NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of
the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of
information exchange. The United States Government
assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof.


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