This paper describes a study which was carried out to examine the intra-group verbal behavior of "person-oriented" and "non-person-oriented" individuals. Extrapolating from conceptual systems theory, it was expected that the "person-oriented" (conceptually abstract) individuals would deal with different referents, time focuses and affect levels in their verbalizations than would the "non-person-oriented" individuals (conceptually concrete). Within the framework of a verbal classification system developed for the study, the verbal usage patterns of the two groups were examined. These verbal usage patterns generally supported the theoretically derived expectations, showing an overall usage superiority by the "person-oriented" sub-group in the areas of: (1) "here-and-now" statements; (2) affective statements; and (3) affective self-disclosure statements. A quarter-by-quarter examination of these usage patterns revealed a tendency for the "person-oriented" sub-group's superiority in these areas to become more marked during the last half of the total group's life. Implications of these findings for laboratory group composition and design are discussed. (Author)