ABSTRACT
This chapter carefully examines the extant research evidence and the proffered explanations for gender differences, and provides evidence from a distinctly separate and almost totally ignored research program that challenges past explanations. For many decades, it has been generally accepted that women were more susceptible to social influence than were men. However, data exist from a number of sources to suggest that such a focus on men would provide a more parsimonious explanation of gender differences than has been advanced to date. The discussion presented in this chapter details the people views, supported by data, about gender differences in the ability to influence. The original logic underlying language expectancy theory begins with the assumptions that language is a rule-governed system and that people develop macrosociological expectations and preferences con-cerning the messages employed by others in persuasive attempts. Briefly, change in the direction desired by a source occurs when positive violations of expectations occur.
