CONFLICT IN INTIMATE VS NON-INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS - WHEN GENDER-ROLESTEREOTYPING OVERRIDES BIASED SELF-OTHER JUDGMENT

An experiment was conducted to explore whether bias in self-other judg ments pertains to conflict in intimate relationships and is overruled by gender role stereotypes in non-intimate relationships between males and females, it was predicted that when the opponent was one's intima te partner, both male and female participants would rate themselves as intending more cooperative and less competitive behavior than their p artner. In non-intimate relationships, females were predicted to rate their male opponent as less cooperative and more competitive, whereas males were predicted to rate their female opponent as more cooperative and less competitive. A sample of 46 male and 46 female participants rated their own intention to cooperative and competitive conflict beha viors, and that of an opposite-sex opponent, in a hypothesized conflic t situation. The results supported the hypotheses. Implications for fu rther research, as well as applications in the field of marital counse ling, are discussed.