Exploring Differences in Males' and Females' Processing Strategies

Existing research suggests that, relative to males, females often are more concerned with the particulars of message claims when processing advertising messages. This research examines how males process messages, when gender differences in processing are likely to occur, and whether variance In either information availability (the extent of message encoding) or information accessibility (the richness of message encoding) is likely to mediate such differences. The findings suggest that whether gender differences in processing occur depends on the nature of the response task and the level of cue incongruity contained in the message. Differences in the accessibility of message cues and in the genders' likelihood of using alternative processing strategies seem likely to account for these findings. Copyright 1991 by the University of Chicago.