Abstract
The present study examined individuals' task preference in a free-choice period as a function of Type A personality and task labels. An identical anagram-solving task was labeled either as a work-related task or as a leisure-oriented activity. Subjects were divided into three groups (i.e., Type A, intermediate, and Type B) based on a three-way split in their scores on the Type A personality measure. The results of this investigation suggested that after performing a task labeled as “work,” both Type A individuals and intermediates spent more free-choice time performing the target activity than did Type B subjects. Moreover, intermediates in the “work” condition spent more time on the target activity than did those in the “leisure” condition. Type B individuals spent more time on the target activity after they worked on a leisure-related activity than they did on a work-related task. However, there was no significant difference between Type As' free-choice behavior in work and leisure conditions.