Gender differences in the functional linkage between androgyny, social cognition, and competence.

In Study 1 with 251 male and 389 female undergraduates, androgynous females reported higher self-esteem and were more competent in the judgment of others (Adjective Check List) than any other sex-role type. Study 2 (48 males and 86 females) hypothesized that superior social cognition (Chapin Social Insight Test) mediates the adaptive value of androgyny, allowing effective deployment of expanded sex-role potential across situations. It was found that androgynous males demonstrated the highest social cognition among the 4 sex types. In Study 3 androgynous males were the least well-defended and androgynous females the most highly defended relative to the other sex types. This is proposed as 1 basis for enhanced competence of androgynous females and the unexceptional competence of their male counterparts despite social cognition differences. (55 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)