Sociometry · 1963 · 98 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesPsychologySocial PsychologyCompetitive StrategyGenderWomen's StudiesDominant StrategiesFemale ChoiceGame PlayingGender DifferencesGender RolesCross-gender BehaviorCross-sex PlayGender PlayGender-typed BehaviorSex Differences In ExplorationSex Differences In Play
In competitive board games, male and female players differ in style, with signs distinguishing exploitative (masculine) from accommodative (feminine) strategies, yet feminine approaches are often obscured by unrecognized masculine biases. The study devised a quiz game with content especially appealing to females to examine strategy use. The authors created a quiz game tailored to female interests to assess strategy differences. Female participants adopted more accommodative strategies in the quiz game than in the board game, while male participants showed no significant change.
When triads play a simple competitive board game, there are significant differences between the two sexes in style of play. By combining a series of signs, it is possible to differentiate exploitative (masculine) and accommodative (feminine) strategies. Since many experimental situations may contain unrecognized masculine biases, feminine approaches to problems may often be obscured. A quiz game with content especially appealing to females was devised. Under these conditions, there was a significant increase in accommodative strategy in female groups, compared to the previously employed board game, but male groups did not differ significantly in the two situations on this index.