On Oppressing Hypotheses: Or Differences in Nonverbal Sensitivity Revisited

Abstract

Argues that women's superior ability to decode nonverbal communication -- eg, facial expressions & vocal intonations -- is a product of their subordinate social position. The oppression hypothesis contends that women's superiority in this field is necessary to discern the expressions of those with more power. The conclusions of J. A. Hall & A. G. Halberstadt (1981), which refute the oppression hypothesis, are criticized as uninformed & incorrect. 75 References. M. Greenberg