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Relationships of Observer Characteristics to Beliefs in the Causal Responsibility of Victims of Sexual Assault

NCJ Number
92506
Journal
Human Relations Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: (1982) Pages: 321-330
Author(s)
B Thornton; R M Ryckman; M A Robbins
Date Published
1982
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Whereas previous research has focused on the influence of victim characteristics on attributions of responsibility to a rape victim, the present study seeks to assess the relative effectiveness of individual differences among observers in predicting perceptions of a rape victim's responsibility in her own victimization.
Abstract
Findings show that observers' sex, their attitudes toward women, and their degree of dogmatism contribute significantly to the prediction of victim responsibility in a multiple regression analysis. Observers' locus of control orientation, personal- environmental attributional tendency, and belief in a just world, however, are not of predictive utility. Tabular data and 42 references are given. (Author abstract modified)