We investigated sex differences in response to evaluative feedback among bank employees who were going through the annual performance evaluation process. Questionnaires were mailed to employees before and after they had their face-to-face evaluation with their supervisor. Women and men received similar evaluation scores. Men's self-esteem was relatively unaffected by the nature of the feedback, whereas women's self-esteem slightly improved after positive feedback and substantially dropped after negative feedback. After the evaluations, women reported greater intentions to change their behavior based on the evaluation. However, this finding was accounted for by men's higher job status relative to women. The findings for self-esteem were partly explained by women's greater agreement with the feedback compared to men. Future research should explore how the nature of the supervisee-supervisor relationship influences how women and men respond to feedback. Women report that their own self-assessments are more affected by the feedback that they receive concerning their performance than do men. Studies show that women are more likely to experience lowered self-esteem and negative affect and are more willing to change their behavior in response to negative feedback compared to men (Roberts & Nolen-Hoeksema, 1994). However, most of the studies that demonstrate women's greater responsiveness to feedback compared to men come from controlled laboratory settings. In the present paper, we review previous research and examine explanations for sex differences 1 in responsiveness to feedback. Then we address some of the limitations of previous research by proposing our own field study to examine how adult women and men respond to evaluative feedback from supervisors in a real-world setting. Laboratory StudiesA number of laboratory studies conducted by Roberts and Nolen-Hoeksema have compared women's and men's responses to evaluative feedback. In one study, college students were asked to imagine being a manager of an or-The authors express their appreciation to all of the employees at the bank who participated in the research and the Employee Services Department, without whom the research would not have been possible. ganization and giving a presentation (Roberts & NolenHoeksema, 1989; Study 1). The students then were asked to imagine receiving positive or negative feedback after the presentation. The investigators asked students to report how much they thought the feedback would influence their own evaluations of their performance. Women reported greater influence compared to men, especially after negative feedback. Men reported being more influenced by positive than negative feedback, whereas women reported being equally influenced by positive and negative feedback. Students also were asked how informative they expected such feedback to be. Women found negative feedback to be more informative than men did, but both women and men viewed positive feedback as more informative than negative feedback.In a follow-up study, Roberts and ...

Purpose Many tools are available for assessing autism in an adult population; however, few have been studied for the effects of gender on diagnostic scores. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessment for gender bias in a clinical population, specifically whether the ADOS favours a “male-type” of autism. Design/methodology/approach The ADOS scores of patients referred to an NHS specialist autism assessment service were retrospectively examined for significant gender differences. The combined ADOS scores and diagnostic outcome were grouped by gender for each participant. The data were analysed in SPSS using independent t-tests to look for significant gender differences between combined ADOS scores and diagnostic outcomes. Findings A significant difference was observed in the mean combined ADOS scores for those participants who later received an autism diagnosis (male=10, female=6, t (13)=3.34, p=10; 0.005). However, no significant difference was observed between mean scores of those who did not receive an autism diagnosis (t (26)=1.21, p=0.237). Originality/value The ADOS is a popular assessment used for autism diagnosis. These results provide support for a male gender bias. This could have clinical implications for autism assessment services, whereby lower diagnostic thresholds could be considered for female patients. This could allow more females with autism to receive a diagnosis, and access support services.

Adult referrals to specialist autism spectrum disorder diagnostic services have increased in recent years, placing strain on existing services. It was proposed that the Ritvo Autism Asperger’s Diagnostic Scale could be used as a screening tool, in order to identify and prioritise patients most likely to receive an ASD diagnosis. This study evaluates the validity of the RAADS-R as a screening tool for ASD in an adult population. Retrospective case note analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy of the RAADS-R as a screening tool to predict ASD diagnostic outcomes in 50 service users of a NHS specialist autism service. Results indicate no association between RAADS-R scores and clinical diagnostic outcome, suggesting the RAADS-R is not an effective screening tool for identifying service users most likely to receive an ASD diagnosis. In conclusion, used as a self-report measure pre-full diagnostic assessment, the RAADS-R lacks predictive validity and is not a suitable screening tool for adults awaiting autism assessments. Future research should aim to identify reliable screening tools for this purpose.

Results provide preliminary support for the modified dissonance program.