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GENDERBENDER: Gender and the Human Computer User Interface
Gregory Patrick Garvey
Department of Design Art
Concordia University
Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
ggarvey@vax2.concordia.ca
When a potential user first approaches GENDERBENDER the attract mode displays the following:
"Are you really a man or a woman or a little bit of both?"
"Etes-vous un homme ou une femme ou un peu les deux?"
"Now you can be sure (or can you?)!"
"Maintenant, vous en tes certain!(l'tes-vous?)"
Although on the Internet no one may know you are a dog GENDERBENDER performs a much needed public
service by minimizing the cognitive dissonance of gender confusion and subterfuge found in chat groups,
MUDS, and MOOS. Inspired by standard psychological tests for gender and personality profiles and Alan
Turing's test for Artificial Intelligence. GENDERBENDER allows a user to self administer a gender test.
Based on the user's responses the "Computer Psychologist" will display the message, "You are a man!" or "You
are a woman!" or "You are androgynous!" The "two player" version allows two users to view the responses of
one another. Each in turn can guess the gender of the other player and whomever the computer psychologist
agrees with is the winner(?)!. CUseeme teleconferencing makes it possible for the users to compare a video
simulacrum with the assessment of the Computer Psychologist.
At the start of both the single player and two-player version the Computer Psychologist will display the first of
a series of questions randomly selected from a possible total of sixty. The Morph-o-meter displays KENBY an
androgynous 'virtual' figurine. As a user answers each question with yes, no or don't know the Morph-o-meter
gives instant feedback on whether masculine or feminine characteristics predominate in the user's personality
by morphing towards a identifiably male or female figurine. The Tile-o-matic will reveal each user's video
image tile by tile for each yes response. For each don't know both the Morph-o-meter and the Tile-o-matic do
not change.
GENDERBENDER (Release 1.0) was exhibited as part of the summer installment of Image du Futur in
Montreal (May-September). GENDERBENDER Release 2.0 will introduce the two player Internet version.
GENDERBENDER Release 3.0 will contain the additional feature of the creation of an online avatar that
reflects the gender profile that the user gives it. The Self-Test allows the user to construct a personal gender
profile of twenty masculine, feminine or neutral traits. Once created it can act as a gendered knowbot that will
visit chat groups, perform searches and then report back to it's master(?) on its discoveries, experiences,
exploits and perhaps provide a little black book for actual meat and flesh encounters.
GENDERBENDER is loosely based on the 1974 Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). The help feature of the
software offers the disclaimer that GENDERBENDER is not an actual diagnostic test. Of course individuals
needing help or assistance with personal problems should seek the assistance of qualified psychological or
psychiatric professionals. The BSRI is a self-administered 60-item questionnaire, containing a Masculinity
scale and a Femininity Scale with 20 neutral items as filler. For either the self-test or the two player game the
software randomly selects questions from the 60 items. Ellen Lenney describes the BSRI "assesses masculinity
and femininity in terms of the respondent's self-perceived possession of positive personality characteristics
having sex-typed social desirability."[Lenney 1986] Several examples are listed as follows:
Acts as a leader Affectionate Friendly
Aggressive Cheerful Happy
Ambitious Childlike Helpful