Publication Date

2017

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Lilly, Michelle M.

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Psychology

LCSH

Clinical psychology; Social psychology

Abstract

This thesis examined the influence of personal- and relationship-level variables on women's ability to recognize risk of sexual assault. Using the investment model as theoretical grounding, the study sought to advance the literature by investigating how relationship commitment might affect women's responses to the risk of sexual assault perpetrated by an intimate partner. The study began by measuring women's length of time spent in their current dating relationship and degree of commitment to their dating partner. Participants were asked to take the perspective of the female in the Marx and Gross (1995) audio task, and respond as if the situation was really happening to them. They were asked to determine when they believed the man in the audio (i.e., imagining the man as their partner) should stop his advances. Based on this methodology, the study investigated how time spent in a relationship and commitment to a current dating relationship might uniquely influence participants' latency in the Marx and Gross (1995) audio task. Women's victimization history and level of rape myth acceptance were also examined as predictors of risk recognition. Study hypotheses were not supported. Explanations for the null results found in this study are explored.

Comments

Advisors: Michelle M. Lilly.||Committee members: Alan Rosenbaum; Brad Sagarin.||Includes bibliographical references.

Extent

v, 95 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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