Sapir Sasson

Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Paul, Lisa A.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

LCSH

Clinical psychology; Criminology; Social psychology; Rape--Public opinion--Research; Blaming the victim--Research; Social psychology

Abstract

The current study examined the effect of rape stereotypicality (stereotypical rape vs. non-stereotypical rape) and victim attractiveness on victim blame attributions and encouragement of formal reporting while controlling for individual difference variables (i.e., rape myth acceptance, victim empathy, victimization history, and disclosure receipt history). Participants in the final sample for this study comprised 354 undergraduate students from introductory psychology classes at a Midwestern university and 283 individuals from Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk site. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that both undergraduate and Mechanical Turk participants assigned greater blame to victims of nonstereotypical (vs. stereotypical) rape. Undergraduate, but not Mechanical Turk participants, assigned greater blame to unattractive (vs. attractive) victims. Victim attractiveness did not moderate the relation between rape stereotypicality and victim blame in either sample. Rape myth acceptance was also associated with greater blame in the undergraduate sample; other control variables did not influence blame in either sample.

Comments

Advisors: Lisa A. Paul.||Committee members: Michelle Lilly; Alecia Santuzzi.

Extent

138 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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