Mark D. Morin

Publication Date

1992

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Grush, Joseph E.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

LCSH

Psychometrics; Acquaintance rape--Psychological aspects

Abstract

This study was designed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA), Adversarial Sexual Beliefs (ASB), and Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence (AIV) scales as well as to assess whether high and low RMA males would differ in their perceptions of date rape. In Study 1, male subjects were asked to respond to the items that constitute Burt's RMA, ASB, and AIV scales. In Study 2, high and low scoring RMA males rated females' resistance during five stages of interaction with sexually assaultive males. When informed that each vignette culminated in intercourse, subjects also attributed this outcome to voluntary consent or forcible rape. The results of Study 1 were mixed. While item analyses produced results similar to earlier findings, both factor and regression analyses did not. Factor analysis showed that the underlying structure of the RMA scale remained stable over time, while the structures of the ASB and AIV scales did not. The regression analysis showed that ASB scores rather than AIV scores were the single best predictor of RMA scores. Additionally, Study 1 produced a refined attitudes toward rape scale that was relatively clean conceptually and sound psychometrically. The results for Study 2 were also mixed. Contrary to the hypothesis, high scoring RMA subjects did not judge low resisting females to be less resistant during the early stages of the rape vignettes than did low scoring RMA subjects. In fact, no evidence was obtained to show that RMA scores had a significant effect on any continuous rating of resistance. In contrast, high RMA subjects selected voluntary consent significantly more often than did low RMA subjects on the dichotomous measure of choice. Discussion indicated that the failure to replicate previous factor analytic results was probably due to chance, while the failure to replicate previous regression results was probably due to a genuine shift in attitudes that separates violence from date rape. Discussion also illustrated why the refined Attitudes Toward Rape Scale is potentially a better measure than the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and why both scales may be more likely to produce globalized rather than localized effects. Suggestions for future research were also offered.

Comments

Includes bibliographical references (pages 86-91)

Extent

xi, 189 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.

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