NCJ Number
194783
Journal
International Review of Victimology Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: 2001 Pages: 245-255
Date Published
2001
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article presents a study of the roles physical attractiveness and the acceptance of Burt's (1980) Rape Myths played in observers' perceptions of alleged rape cases.
Abstract
The authors explored the role of victim and rapist physical attractiveness in observer reactions to alleged rape case descriptions. Observers' reactions were also measured using Burt's (1980) Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (RMA). The experiment was conducted in two parts. First, subjects completed the RMA Questionnaire; subjects were then invited to give their perception of a hypothetical rape case. Although each subject heard the same scenario, victim and rapists attractiveness were varied and the difference in subjects' perception of the scenario based on those changes were measured. The authors tested seven hypotheses: 1) attractive victims would be seen more favorably; 2) attractive perpetrators would be seen more favorably; 3) observers who believe rape myths would be more likely to assess additional credibility in hypotheses 1 and 2; 4) male observers would more likely have negative attitudes towards victims; 5) male observers would be more likely to find the victim less credible; 6) observers who have high RMA scores are more likely to have negative attitudes towards victims; 7) gender differences in rape attitudes in general would account for male observers' generally less favorable impression of the victim and the victim's credibility. This last hypothesis was only partially supported by the data. Only hypothesis 2 was not supported, all others were supported by the data. The authors believe that their results indicate that Rape Myth Acceptance levels should be reviewed for individuals who are seeking selection as police personnel or as a jury member. 3 tables, 29 references