Models of Rape Judgment: Attributions Concerning Event, Perpetrator, and Victim

• NCJ Number: 134025
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 17 Issue: 1/2 Dated: (1991) Pages: 43-54
• Author(s): T Langley; E A Yost; E C O'Neal; S L Taylor; P I Frankel; K M Craig
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reviews various analytical models that have been developed to explain which informational cues regarding perpetrator, victim, and situational context influence attributional judgments of responsibility for rape. Recent models have examined perceptions of the perpetrator's violent behavior and the victim's desire for sexual intercourse as mediators of the effects of actual violence levels and the victim's overt behavior upon rape judgments.

Abstract

The authors conclude that victim blame plays little role in mediating judgments regarding punishment, restitution, and whether or not rape actually occurred. Earlier onset of victim protest and degree of force used by the perpetrator are two factors which seem to increase recognition of the incident as a rape, the probability of conviction, and the likelihood that civil damages will be awarded. It seems clear from these models that the differences in rape judgments made by males and females are reflected in difference cognitive mediators. 1 figure and 24 references