NCJ Number
173375
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 12 Issue: 3 Dated: Fall 1997 Pages: 237-246
Date Published
1997
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Perceptions of acquaintance and stranger rape in relation to intoxication of the perpetrator, victim, or both were studied using data from 149 female and 104 male college students, who read scenarios of a sexual assault.
Abstract
The scenarios depicted a rape on a bike path outside the victim's apartment. The scenarios made attributions of responsibility for the rape and made attributions of responsibility for the rape and evaluated the participants. The participants came from introductory psychology courses at a southeastern university. The data were collected in small-group testing sessions. Results revealed that the victims' intoxication consistently influenced perceptions regarding victim culpability, as well as the participant's evaluation of the victim. In addition, the impact of the closeness of the relationship was much more complex and less consistent than were the effects of the victim's intoxication. Tables, note, and 20 references (Author abstract modified)