The Attribution of Date Rape: Observer's Attitudes and Sexual Experiences and The Dating Situation

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of individual experience with sexual aggression/victimization, rape myth score and dating situational factors on rape attributions. A sample of 332 males and 323 females from a freshman‐level class read one of three rape scenarios—a planned date with monetary investment, a planned dutch‐treat date and an unplanned pick‐up date. ANOVAS consisting of a 3 (scenarios) × 2 (above vs. below median on rape myth scale) × 5 (level of sexual aggression/victimization) were performed separately for each sex on four ratings of the rape scenario. Sexually aggressive males and males who agreed more with rape myths were less likely to perceive the scenarios as rape, blamed the victim more, perceived the victim as desiring intercourse and viewed the assailants’ behavior as less violent. The dating situation did not affect their attributions. Females tended to rate a pick‐up date scenario as rape more frequently than a date with monetary investment and females who agreed more with rape myths tended to blame the victim and perceive the victim as desiring intercourse. A female's previous experience of sexual victimization did not influence attributions. The results are interpreted within a social‐cultural context for males and points to the role of situational factors in understanding date rape from the female/victim perspective.

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