Skip to main content
Log in

You Need to Understand My Gender Role: An Empirical Test of Tannen's Model of Gender and Communication

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In her popular book on gender differences in communication, Deborah Tannen proposed that women and men interpret messages along different dimensions (intimacy and control) and that these differing interpretations make intersex communication difficult. In the present study, we contrasted Tannen's model with a more complex model that incorporated gender role as a factor that influences the interpretations of messages. Causal modeling of data from questionnaires (N = 192) administered to predominately European American university students revealed stronger support for a complex model than for the basic model.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

references

  • Alexander, C. S., & Becker, H. J. (1978). The use of vignettes in survey research. Public Opinion Quarterly, 42, 83-104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155-162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Broverman, I. K., Vogel, S. R., Broverman, D. M., Clarkson, F. E., & Rosenkrantz, P. S. (1972). Sex-role stereotypes: A current appraisal. Journal of Social Issues, 28, 59-78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgoon, J. K., & Hale, J. L. (1987). Validation and measurement of the fundamental themes of relational communication. Communication Monographs, 54, 19-41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Copello, A. G., & Tata, P. R. (1990). Violent behaviour and interpretive bias: An experimental study of the resolution of ambiguity in violent offenders. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 29, 417-428.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duck, S., & Barnes, M. K. (1992). Disagreeing about agreement: Reconciling differences about similarity. Communication Monographs, 59, 199-208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H., & Steffen, V. J. (1984). Gender stereotypes stem from the distribution of women and men into social roles. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 735-754.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, R. (1998). The effects of gender, gender role, and values on the interpretation of messages. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 17, 52-71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, R., & Bello, R. (2001). Interpretations of messages: The influence of equivocation, face concerns, and ego involvement. Human Communication Research, 27, 597-631.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, R., Bello, R., Brandau-Brown, F., & Hollems, D. (2001). The effects of loneliness and verbal aggressiveness on message interpretation. Southern Communication Journal, 66, 139-150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garlick, R. (1994). Male and female responses to ambiguous instructor behaviors. Sex Roles, 30, 135-158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gianakos, I. (2000). Gender roles and coping with work stress. Sex Roles, 42, 1059-1079.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith, D. J., & Fulfs, P. A. (1999). “You just don't have the evidence”: An analysis of claims and evidence in Deborah Tannen's You just don't understand. In M. E. Roloff (Ed.), Communication yearbook 22 (pp. 1-49). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J. (1992). Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, B. L., & Kenrick, D. T. (1994). The attractiveness of gender-typed traits at different relationship levels: Androgynous characteristics may be desirable after all. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 244-253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J. E., & Hamilton, M. A. (1998). Meta-analysis of controlled message designs. In M. Allen & R. W. Priess (Eds.), Persuasion: Advances through meta-analysis (pp. 29-52). Creskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, J. E., Hamilton, M. A., & Allen, M. (1989). The design and analysis of language experiments. Communication Monographs, 56, 341-363.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. C., Bloys, N., & Wood, M. (1990). Sex roles and friendship patterns. Sex Roles, 23, 133-145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maltz, D. N., & Borker, R. A. (1982). A cultural approach to male–female miscommunication. In J. J. Gumperz (Ed.), Language and social identity (pp. 196-216). Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Metts, S., Cupach, W. R., & Imahori, T. T. (1992). Perceptions of sexual compliance-resisting messages in three types of cross-sex relationships. Western Journal of Communication, 56, 1-17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyers, R. A., Brashers, D. E., Winston, L., & Grob, L. (1997). Sex differences and group argument: A theoretical framework and empirical investigation. Communication Studies, 48, 19-41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michaud, S. L., & Warner, R. M. (1997). Gender differences in self-reported response in troubles talk. Sex Roles, 37, 527-540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michel, K. (1994). Conversation on-line: Girls' rapport talk and boys' report talk. Women and Language, 17, 30-35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Motley, M. T., & Reeder, H. M. (1995). Unwanted escalation of sexual intimacy: Male and female perceptions of connotations and relational consequences of resistance messages. Communication Monographs, 62, 355-382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noller, P. (1993). Gender and emotional communication in marriage: Different cultures or differential social power? Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 12, 132-152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. D., Baucom, D. H., Elliott, M. J., & Farr, P. A. (1989). The relationship between sex role identity and marital adjustment. Sex Roles, 21, 775-787.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramanaiah, N. V., & Detwiler, F. R. (1992). Psychological androgyny and the NEO personality inventory. Psychological Reports, 71, 1216-1218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramanaiah, N. V., Detwiler, F. R., & Byravan, A. (1995). Sex-role orientation and satisfaction with life. Psychological Reports, 77, 1260-1262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, M. D., & Clore, G. L. (2001). Simulation, scenarios, and emotional appraisal: Testing the convergence of real and imagined reactions to emotional stimuli. Personality and Social Psychologyy Bulletin, 27, 1520-1532.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shifren, K., & Bauserman, R. L. (1996). The relationship between instrumental and expressive traits, health behaviors, and perceived physical health. Sex Roles, 34, 841-864.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannen, D. (1990). You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation. New York: Morrow.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tannen, D. (1994). Gender and discourse. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uleman, J. S., & Weston, M. (1986). Does the BSRI inventory sex roles? Sex Roles, 15, 43-62.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renee Edwards.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Edwards, R., Hamilton, M.A. You Need to Understand My Gender Role: An Empirical Test of Tannen's Model of Gender and Communication. Sex Roles 50, 491–504 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000023069.93583.8b

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SERS.0000023069.93583.8b

Navigation