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Sex and the Barnum effect: rationality versus helpfulness.
1Psychology Department, University of Toledo, OH 43606, USA. clayne@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Psychological Reports
|November 27, 1999
Summary
Women may be more open to friends' interpretations than men, suggesting rationality, not just helpfulness, influences acceptance. This challenges previous findings on gender differences in social perception.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Previous research (Piper-Terry & Downey, 1998) suggested women accept friends' bogus test interpretations more readily than men, attributing it to helpfulness.
- An alternative hypothesis proposed women's greater openness leads them to rationally expect higher accuracy in friends' interpretations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether women's openness or helpfulness better explains their acceptance of friends' interpretations.
- To re-examine gender differences in the perceived accuracy of personality assessments provided by friends.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study revisited Downey's (1998) research question.
- Participants rated the perceived accuracy of their friends' personality descriptions.
Main Results:
- Women's accuracy ratings tended to exceed men's (p < .06), aligning with the rationality hypothesis.
- The study's sensitivity to detect differences was limited.
Conclusions:
- Findings may support the rationality hypothesis over the female-helpfulness hypothesis.
- Further research is needed to confirm gender differences in trusting friends' personality interpretations.