Gender Differences In Ability to Identify Emotions

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that there are gender differences in emotional intelligence. (Fernandez-Berrocal et al, 2012) The purpose of our study is to determine if that difference manifests itself in ability to identify emotions based on facial expressions. Because some studies suggest that women are better than men in some forms of empathy, it would be logical to believe that women could be better at identifying emotional facial expression. We will utilize the “Revised Mind in the Eyes Test” (Baron-Cohen et al, 2001) which was originally used to test empathy and ability to identify others’ emotions in autistic individuals. This test consists of black and white photos portraying one of 37 different emotions. Participants will attempt to identify the emotion being portrayed in the photo. Approximately 100 male and female undergraduate students will participate in the study. Data will be analyzed via a Chi-square test. Results will be discussed in terms of gender differences in social and emotional intelligence.