The Effects of Gender, Gender Role, and Values on the Interpretation of Messages

Abstract

The interpretation of messages is a mental process that necessarily accompanies communication. It is theoretically related to relational communication but includes both denotative and connotative meanings as well as speaker's intent. This study initiates a program of research on message interpretation by exploring the role ofgender, gender role, and values in interpreting messages. Of the subjects, 175 rated supportive and controlling interpretations of messages in four scenarios. Gender of subject, gender of the source of the message, communal gender role, and masculine values interact to influence message interpretation, but the type of interpretation depends on the scenario. Additionally, reported communication difficulty is greatest for opposite-sex communication for males, followed by opposite sex communication for females, same-sex communication for females, and same-sex communication for males. Gender processes are associated with the difficulty of same-sex communication; both gender and interpretive processes influence opposite-sex communication difficulty.

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