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score high on the other dimension. Among the four groups identified in experiment one, more
subjects were categorized as androgynous subjects than as masculine or feminine subjects,
suggesting the importance of exploring individual differences on masculinity and femininity in
addition to biological gender. Most importantly, androgynous subjects took ad-self-congruency
with regard to both of these two dimensions into account, with higher levels of
ad-self-congruency generating significantly more negative responses. In clear contrast,
masculine subjects and feminine subjects only considered ad-self-congruency with regard to the
dimension that described themselves, not with regard to the dimension that did not describe
themselves. Findings of experiment one can also be explained within gender schema theory,
arguing that subjects are schematic only on the gender dimensions that describe themselves.
Therefore, they are more ready to process incoming information in masculinity-relevant or
femininity-relevant terms in accordance with their self-definitions as being masculine, feminine,
androgynous or undifferentiated.
However, it is important to note that differences regarding masculinity and femininity not
only affected subjects’ responses to information that were defined with masculine or feminine
terms, but also determined their weighting of facts and data in formulating judgments. As
mentioned earlier, speculations regarding masculine subjects’ being more oriented toward facts
and data in message processing have been proposed in past literature, yet these speculations have
not been empirically tested in past research. This paper has specifically established that
individuals with different levels of masculinity develop brand judgments in divergent ways. As
expected, masculine subjects, regardless of their degree of femininity, take product beliefs into
account when formulating their ad evaluations.
In sum, the distinction among individuals with different levels of masculinity and
femininity is not only limited to their readiness to respond to information relevant to these two
Convention