1. 1 Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences Lecture 32

2. 2 Office Hour Invitations January 4 th, 1:30-2:30, Kenny 2517 12215083 15933120 20330080 23560097 24156093 34508101 71860092 82844101 82107103 85919066

3. 3 Friendship 1. Are there sex differences in same-sex friendship? (continued)

4. 4 1. discuss sex differences in same-sex friendship. By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 3. review research findings regarding sex differences in the perceived closeness of same-sex friendships. 2. discuss the relation between self-disclosure and (a) marital status and (b) culture of origin.

5. 5 4. identify barriers to closeness in same-sex friendships associated with the male gender role. 5. distinguish between types of competition and their impact on same-sex friendships. 6. review research findings regarding sex differences in shared activity in same-sex friendships.

6. 6 Are there sex differences in same-sex friendship? (continued) 3. Self-disclosure: (continued)

7. 7  Other variables that influence self-disclosure in same- sex friendships: Marital status: Married males are less likely to self- disclose than married females and unmarried individuals (Tschann, 1988). Culture of origin: Sex differences are greater in individualistic cultures than collectivistic cultures (Berman et al., 1988; Reis, 1998; also see Way, Becker, & Green, 2006).

8. 8 4. Perceived closeness:  The relative closeness of same-sex friendships among males and females has been hotly debated: “Woman is an eminently unsociable being and refrains from forming unions on the basis of like interest, remaining centered in the kinship group based on sexual relations and the reproductive function. Associations created or even joined by women on equal terms with men are rare and must be considered weak imitations of the exclusively male associations” (Schurtz, cited in Tiger, 1969, p. 128).

9. 9  Friendship closeness in same-sex friendships has been assessed using the Rochester Interaction Record (RIR). The RIR requires that participants record details related to social interactions of 10 minutes or more.

10. 10 Sample Copy of a Rochester Interaction Record

11. 11 Wheeler et al., 1993 Asked female and male participants to complete the RIR for 2 weeks. Assessed “meaningfulness” of interactions with same- sex friends and same-sex best friend by summing the intimacy, self-disclosure, other-disclosure, quality, and satisfaction scores of participants’ interactions.

12. Subjective interaction indexFriendsBest friend Intimacy Males Females 3.34 4.19 3.68 4.57 Self-disclosure Males Females 3.03 3.74 3.38 4.05 Other-disclosure Males Females 3.19 3.93 3.53 4.30 Quality (i.e. pleasantness) Males Females 4.77 4.97 4.99 5.25 Satisfaction Males Females 4.17 4.45 4.19 4.53 Overall meaningfulness Males Females 18.50 21.28 19.77 22.70 12 Note: All sex differences significant at p <.01 Sex Differences in Interaction Indices for Same-Sex Friendships (Wheeler et al., 1993)

13. 13 These findings have been replicated across numerous studies using distinct methodologies (e.g., Barry et al., 2009; Bauminger et al., 2008; Johnson, 2004; Linden- Anderson et al., 2009; Parker & de Vries, 1993).

14. 14 5. Shared activity:  Males engage in a greater number of shared activities (playing games, fantasy play, telling jokes, playing a sport, playing cards) with friends than females (e.g., Aukett et al., 1988; McNelles & Connolly, 1999; Sheets & Lugar, 2005).  Sex differences in shared activity appear in adolescence and are consistent across age groups (Helgeson, 2009).

15. 15 Mean Shared Activity Scores in Same-Sex Friendships for Women and Men (Sheets and Lugar, 2005) Shared Activity Scores

16. 16 Friendship 1. Are there sex differences in same-sex friendship? (continued)