The effect of gender and communication mode on conflict resolution

This paper examines the effect of gender and conflict on the process and ou tcomes of people using various forms of communication media. Of interest in the study is the effect which gender exerts on the evaluation of the capab ility of the communication environment to provide relational support under conditions of conflict. It was predicted that members of female-only and ma le-only dyads would demonstrate satisfaction differences and variances in t heir ratings of the communication environment as a function of their gender distinctions. The results indicate that there were no differences in perfo rmance levels across media and gender composition. However, there was an in teraction between media and gender concerning evaluations of the communicat ion environment's ability to support affection, domination, similarity, and trust. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.