Investigating the impact of assertiveness priming of gender differences on negotiation outcomes

The present study examined whether an experimental assertiveness prime and assertiveness were associated with gender differences in a face-to-face negotiation. Using a 2 (gender) × 2 (prime: assertiveness vs. neutral) between-subjects design, 86 participants completed a writing-based priming task before negotiating a hypothetical scenario with a trained confederate.

In the analytic sample (N = 83; 62 women, 21 men), a two-way ANOVA showed a significant, modest main effect of gender on retention, with men attaining more advantageous outcomes than women, F(1, 73) = 6.14, p = .015, η²p = .08. Neither the main effect of the priming condition nor the gender × condition interaction reached significance. An ANCOVA further showed that trait assertiveness was significantly associated with retention independent of condition, with higher self-reported assertiveness linked to greater retention, F(1, 74) = 4.69, p = .033, η²p = .06.