Sex Differences in Eavesdropping on Nonverbal Cues: Developmental Changes

This study examined the developmental acquisition, defined both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, of females' superiority in decoding nonverbal cues. Three age groups (250 pre-high school students, 109 high school students, and 81 college students) were examined cross-sectionally, and 48 children 11-14 years old were examined longitudinally. Decoding of four types of nonverbal cues (face, body, tone, discrepancies) arranged from the most controllable channel to the least controllable (most "leaky") channel, was examined. The analysis of variance and the appropriate contrast (the Linear Trend in Age X Linear Trend in Channel) showed that as age increased, females lost more and more of their advantage for the more leaky or more covert channels but that they gained more and more of their advantage for the less leaky channels (/> = .0022). The results of the longitudinal 1-year study supported those of the cross-sectional study—During the year, women lost more and more of their advantage in more leaky channels, r(2) = .96, p = .02, one-tailed. These results are consistent with a socialization interpretation that as females grow older, they may learn to be more nonverbally courteous or accommodating.