Many studies have supported the ergogenic effect music possesses helping individuals to dissociate from physiological feedback reducing the degree of perceived effort at a given workload. Some designs have compared types of music, but few have evaluated whether the experimenter's gender provides a mitigating influence in relation to the gender of the participant. Twelve males (ages 19 - 23) and 12 females (ages 19 - 25) completed six, 15-min rides on a Monark exercise ergometer maintaining a cadence of 60 rpm ± 2 and a HR of 150 bpm ± 2 over the last 7-min of the bout. A Polar earclip monitor displayed HR. Over the initial minute, the resistance was gradually increased to 2 kpm. Starting at the fourth minute, the load was manually adjusted as need; however, no modifications occurred 30-sec before ratio scale RPEs were recorded at minute 10 and 15. Participants completed two bouts under each of three music conditions: Upbeat (UM) - lively rhythm and fast tempo; Relaxing (RM) - slow and soothing tempo; and No Music (NM). A 3-5 day interval occurred between sessions. Bouts for each music condition were completed with an experimenter of the same, and opposite gender as that of the participant. The presentation order for type of music and researcher's gender was randomly counterbalanced with the restriction that sessions using the same musical selection occurred consecutively. Data were analyzed using a 2X2X3X2 ANOVA (Participant's Gender, Experimenter's Gender, Musical Condition, RPE Report) with repeated measures over the last three factors. RPEs were significantly lower when participants listened to UM as compared to RM or NM. No significant difference in RPEs was observed between the RM and NM conditions. While RPE scores for males and females were non-significant when a male researcher was present regardless of the music condition, when a female experimenter conducted the session, males reported significantly lower RPEs for all musicial conditions. The researcher's gender did not significantly influence RPE values for women. Results support a stereotypic influence on males suggesting they tried to impress the female experimenter with the relative ease of the task's requirements. By males elevating RPE in the presence of another male, it appears that they were trying to gain greater acknowledgement of their physical efforts for which males place a high value. Results from the women could in part be explained by stationary cycling being viewed as a gender-neutral activity. Keyword(s): exercise/fitness, gender issues