Differences in intergender communication within task-oriented dyads

Abstract

This study examines the influence of the task structure on intergender communication. The primary goal of this research is to find out whether a cooperative or competitive task structure has an effect on inequalities in communication between women and men. Most of the current literature has focused on variables other than task structure, such as group composition and task type, when measuring communication differences. In fact, very little of the literature explores changes in verbal behaviors based on how the task is presented in the study. In this study, 29 mixed-sex dyads were asked to come up with pieces of information to put in a Freshman Handbook; 15 dyads were structured to be cooperative, and 14 were structured to be competitive. Fifty-eight undergraduates from Texas A&M University were used to compose these groups. There was no history of interaction between the partners prior to the experiments. The task conditions were randomly assigned to each dyad by a person other than the researcher in order to avoid any influence from the researcher. Each dyad was given 5-7 minutes to discuss the task and to write down their suggestions. There were three dependent variables that were coded: time talked, directives, and acceptances of influence. Although the subjects genuinely seemed to understand the way the task was to be completed, the results did not show a significant difference in gender interactions based on task structure. Alternately, there were no significant differences in any of the three dependent variables by condition and sex.