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Evidence for a cognitive bias of interpretation toward threat in individuals with a Type D personality

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Abstract

Biological and behavioral mediators link Type D personality with a poor prognosis in heart disease. However, the mediator role of cognitive biases is still unknown. This study tested whether Type D individuals exhibit an interpretative bias for ambiguous social situations. For this aim we examined Type D and non-Type D individuals’ evaluations of written social situations that varied in terms of situations’ clarity (clear, ambiguous) and social judgment (neutral, negative). A convenience sample of 42 young, healthy adults rated each situation in relation to the difficulty of formulating a verbal response, anticipated distress, and perceived threat, and they completed the Type D personality scale (DS14; Denollet, 2005). Results showed an interpretation bias among Type D individuals, as they rated ambiguous or neutral situations as significantly more distressing compared to non-Type D individuals. Only clearly negative situations were rated similarly by Type D and non-Type D individuals. The discussion suggests that this interpretation bias in Type D individuals would increase their vulnerability to perceived stress.

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Notes

  1. In ambiguous situations Type D individuals reported greater difficulties in formulating a verbal response and more anticipated distress than non-Type D individuals (respectively F(1, 41) = 10.80, p = .002, partial eta2 = .213; F(1, 41) = 22.37, P < .001, partial eta2 = .359). In clear situation these effects were respectively F(1,41) = 3.68, p = .06, partial eta2 = .084; F(1,41) = 10.90, p = .002, partial eta2 = .214).

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants 1.1.233.09 from the Belgian National Funds for Scientific Research (FNRS-FRS) to Delphine Grynberg (Research Fellow). This study was supported by grants 1.5.175.06 and 1.5.148.10 from the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research granted to Olivier Luminet (Senior Research associate). This research was also supported by a Joined Research Grant (ARC 06/11-337) from the Belgian French Community to Olivier Luminet, and by a VICI grant (#453-04-004) from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research to Johan Denollet. We thank Betty Chang for her help in improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Institute for Psychological Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Delphine Grynberg & Olivier Luminet

  2. Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium

    Yori Gidron

  3. CoRPS—Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic Diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Johan Denollet

Authors
  1. Delphine Grynberg
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  2. Yori Gidron
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  3. Johan Denollet
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  4. Olivier Luminet
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Delphine Grynberg.

Appendix

Appendix

Clear negative

  1. 1.

    You have been dismissed for a serious offence.

  2. 2.

    You explain to your colleagues that you are late for the meeting because your train was twenty minutes late. They tell you that it is unacceptable and ask you to not participate anymore in these meetings.

  3. 3.

    You receive a mail from a friend, who tells you that he was very disappointed by your aggressive behavior at his party, and that he does not want to see you ever again.

Ambiguous negative

  1. 1.

    You go to a birthday party, and some people look at each other and start whispering when they see you come in.

  2. 2.

    You explain to your colleagues that you are late for the meeting because your train was twenty minutes late. They listen to your explanation and then take a coffee break.

  3. 3.

    You are going to a club, and the doorman refuses to let you in.

  4. 4.

    Someone enters in your classroom and firmly declares that the headmaster wants to see you immediately.

Clear neutral

  1. 1.

    You are in the train and the ticket inspector asks for your ticket.

  2. 2.

    You explain to your colleagues that you are late for the meeting because your train was twenty minutes late. They tell you that there is no problem.

  3. 3.

    You walk in the street and a person points out to you that your laces are undone.

  4. 4.

    You call a friend to ask him to go to the cinema with other friends, but he tells you that he can not come because he is with his mother, whom he has not seen for a while.

Ambiguous neutral

  1. 1.

    You go to a birthday party and a person you don’t know nods his head to you.

  2. 2.

    You go to the bookshop and the bookseller sells you a newspaper without the TV guide.

  3. 3.

    You pass your colleague in the street and after having looked at you, he starts walking more quickly and then crosses the street.

  4. 4.

    You are going to the cinema and the usherette does not give you the program.

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Grynberg, D., Gidron, Y., Denollet, J. et al. Evidence for a cognitive bias of interpretation toward threat in individuals with a Type D personality. J Behav Med 35, 95–102 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9351-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-011-9351-7

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