Publication Date
2018
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
First Advisor
Lilly, Michelle M.
Degree Name
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
Legacy Department
Department of Psychology
LCSH
Clinical psychology; Social psychology
Abstract
This dissertation examined risk recognition of sexual assault within the Cognitive Ecological Model, with a focus on how the social environment impacted background factors and cognitive appraisals of a sexually risky situation. Participants completed the Marx and Gross audiotaped date-rape vignette and indicated if and when the man should refrain from making further sexual advances. In order to examine the impact of the social environment, participants completed the task alone, or with a same- or opposite- sex confederate. Cognitive appraisals of the task were taken at 4 time-points and examined self- and other- perceptions of the interaction. Hypotheses that cognitive appraisals would mediate the relationship between (a) sexual scripts and risk recognition, (b) gender and risk recognition, and (c) social environment and risk recognition were not supported. Gender and social environment did not independently risk recognition or cognitive appraisals; however, there was a marginally significant interaction. Research questions explored gendered effects of the social environment and found that female participants completing the task with a female confederate had longer response latencies than other conditions. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Mercer, Mary Catherine, "Cognitive ecological model of sexual assault : cognitive appraisals of the social environment and risk recognition" (2018). Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations. 1826.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-thesesdissertations/1826
Extent
127 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
Comments
Advisors: Michelle M. Lilly.||Committee members: Holly Orcutt; Brad Sagarin; Patricia Wallace; Kevin Wu.||Includes illustrations.||Includes bibliographical references.