Face-to-Face Interactions in Unacquainted Female-Male Adolescent Dyads

Verbal and nonverbal behaviors of adolescents interacting in female-male dyads were examined for gender and context (i.e., topic of discussion) differences. Thirty dyads, comprised of unacquainted 15-year-olds, discussed a masculine, feminine, and gender-neutral task for 3 minutes each. The videotaped interactions were coded for verbal (questions, uncertainty, speaking time) and nonverbal (gestures, head/facial touches, smiling, gazing) behaviors. Codes also were developed for "display" behaviors that were hypothesized to differentiate girls and boys (chin strokes, hair flips, head tilts, coy looks, appearing smaller). On the verbal and nonverbal behaviors, girls and boys were more alike than different, although there were gender differences in speaking time (specific to context) and in smiling. Gender differences in four out of five display behaviors cut across context, with effect sizes in the medium to large range. Discussion focuses on developmental and contextual accounts of adolescents' interpersonal behaviors.