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Toward an Understanding of “The Sex Game”: The Effects of Gender and Self‐Monitoring on Perceptions of Sexuality and Likability in Initial Interactions 1
Author(s) -
Harnish Richard J.,
Abbey Antonia,
DeBono Kenneth G.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1990.tb01475.x
Subject(s) - human sexuality , psychology , social psychology , trait , perception , meaning (existential) , set (abstract data type) , developmental psychology , gender studies , neuroscience , sociology , computer science , psychotherapist , programming language
Results of several studies indicate that men attribute more sexual meaning to heterosexual interactions than do women. Based on Abbey's (1982) findings, we hypothesized that males, in comparison to females, would attribute more sexuality to opposite‐sex partners. Based on findings from several self‐monitoring dating studies, we predicted that high self‐monitors would rate their partners and themselves higher on sexuality and likability traits than would low self‐monitors. A laboratory study was conducted in which mixed‐sex pairs of participants discussed their likes and dislikes about college life. Participants then rated themselves and their opposite‐sex partners on a set of sexuality and likability trait adjectives and indicated their interest in getting to know their partner better. Results supported the gender hypotheses, whereas they only partially supported the self‐monitoring predictions. The self‐monitoring effects on self‐ratings of sexuality and partner ratings of likability are used to explain why high self‐monitors are more successful than low self‐monitors in establishing heterosexual relationships.