PSCH 352, Summer 2005             
Prof. Trina Kershaw
Sex Differences in Conversation Assignment
Due Thursday, 7/7/05, worth 10 points
Read the contrasting perspectives on sex differences in conversation from Deborah Tannen
and Elizabeth Aries.

1. Briefly summarize each author’s perspective in about a paragraph.

2. Make an argument for which perspective you support and why.  That is, make a claim,
and support it with evidence.

3. How can we test if there are sex differences in conversation?  Much of the evidence cited by
Tannen and Aries involves anecdotes or observational, sociology-type studies.  Based on what
you know about cognitive psychology, suggest a study that could test for sex-based conversational
differences.

**Your final paper should be no more than 5 pages long**