NCJ Number
146451
Journal
British Journal of Social Psychology Volume: 31 Dated: (1992) Pages: 307-326
Date Published
1992
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper reviews recent research on attribution of responsibility regarding rape descriptions, particularly with respect to the effects on judgments of certain characteristics and actions of the victim.
Abstract
The factors examined in this analysis include victim characteristics, victim-attacker acquaintance, victim resistance, effects of pre-attack victim behaviors, and subject differences in attribution. The results show that females and holders of nontraditional sex-role attitudes make more pro-victim judgments than males and people with traditional attitudes toward sex roles. The most clear-cut effects reported here relate to past sexual history and attributions of date rape. Effects of victim attire are fairly clear, while other factors, notably victim resistance, have not produced consistent results across the studies included in this review. The findings suggest that rape may be tacitly condoned in situations where the female victim engaged in any behavior thought to be incautious, or if she had been previously involved in a romantic relationship with her assailant. 110 references