Interpersonal Gaze in a Triad as a Function of Sex

Abstract

Interpersonal gaze is affected by several individual difference factors, one of the most consistent of which appears to be sex. Research indicates that females gaze at a coactor more, i.e., both in terms of the frequency and duration of gaze, than males, more gaze occurs in same-sex dyads than in mixed-sex dyads, and the sex of the target is not a reliable determinant (1, 2). However, these findings pertain primarily to dyadic interactions and, perhaps, may not be generalized to larger groups. This experiment assessed a person's partern of visual attention in a situation in which he interacts with two people, a female and a male. In this context do females gaze at their coactors more than males, and does a person gaze more at a same-sex person than at a member of the opposite sex? Under the guise of studying the acquaintance process 27 male and 27 female undergraduates each were asked to inform 1 of 3 male and 1 of 3 female accomplices about their interests and future goals. The participants were seated at a small triangular table. The male and female accomplices were paired an equal number of times, and their seating positions were appropriately counterbalanced. Both accomplices gazed continually at subject during subject's 3-min. delivery. From behind a one-way mirror an experimenter activated a pen recorder to register the frequency and duration of gaze which he judged the subject to direct toward the region of each sccomplice's eyes. A separate analysis of variance for sex of subject x sex of accomplice was conducted on each of the following: frequency, duration, and mean duration of gaze. Neither main effect was significant, although female accomplices tended to receive a greater duration of gaze than male accomplices (F1.m = 3.25, p < .lo; 134s = 21.2 sec. and 16.3 sec., respectively). Also, a marginally significant interaction of sex of subject and of accomplice (Fl.;! = 3.71, p < .lo) indicated that, whereas males and females did not differ in mean duration of their glances toward males, females maintained longer glances toward females than did males (Ms = 1.3 sec. and 1.0 sec., respecrively, p < .05 ) . The results generally fail to corroborate research on dyadic interactions; over-all females did not gaze at their coanors more than males, and there was minimal evidence that people visually favor same-sex others. These findings suggest that group size may moderate the influence of sex on the pattern of visual interaction. The significance of group size as a moderator variable has been suggested by other research on interpersonal gaze (cf. 3).