Most definitions and training of assertive behavior fail to consider cultural diversity in social skills. Verbal, nonverbal and cognitive components of assertive behavior were investigated to determine cultural variations in assertiveness. Black (N=30) and white (N=30) male and female college students enacted 16 role-play scenes with 4 role players, and completed 2 paper and pencil measures in addition to a demographic data sheet. Results from the behavioral measures indicated that whites exhibited more praise than blacks. On the self-report inventories, blacks had less knowledge of appropriate assertion and tended to show lower assertive levels than whites. Blacks also requested assertive training more frequently than whites and represented a lower socioeconomic class. One significant sex difference was found: females viewed themselves as less assertive than males. Results suggest that blacks, and possibly females, may have more of a cognitive rather than a behavioral deficit in assertive skills. (Author/NRB)