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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Psychology
Notes
- Abstract:
- The purpose of this study was to examine the combined effect of rape myth acceptance and rape empathy on rape attribution of responsibility in cases of rape. There were 130 participants (15 male, 106 females; the remaining 9 did not indicate gender) ranging in age from 18 years to 82 years (M = 26.82, SD = 12.86). Participants were from a variety of ethnic backgrounds; 28 identified as African American, 29 identified as Caucasian, 23 identified as Hispanic, 15 identified as Afro-Caribbean, 1 identified as Asian, 26 identified themselves as Other, and 8 participants did not indicate ethnicity. Additionally, undergraduate participants include: 25 freshmen, 24 sophomores, 17 juniors, and 25 seniors. Seven participants indicated that they were graduate students, 3 identified as post graduate, 14 identified as not in school, and 6 indicated other. The remaining 9 did not indicate anything. The study required participants to access an online survey (psychsurveys.org) where they were asked to read a short vignette depicting a stranger rape scenario. After reading the vignette, the participants were then asked to respond four measures; the Attitudes Towards Rape Scale (ATR), the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (IRMA) Revised, the Rape Victim Empathy Scale (RES-V), and the Rape Perpetrator Scale (RES-P). A brief demographic questionnaire was included for descriptive purposes only. Items in the demographic questionnaire included age, gender, ethnicity, and academic year level. A bivariate correlation of three factors (TotalATR, TotalIRMA, TotalRESV) was conducted to ensure that there was indeed a relationship between the factors; results suggested that they were. A multiple regression was conducted to see if rape myth acceptance and rape empathy predicted rape attribution of responsibility (who is blamed in cases of rape). It was found that rape myth acceptance and rape empathy accounted for a significant amount of variance in the attribution of responsibility in cases of rape (F (2, 127) = 39.66, p < .001, R2 = .38, R2 Adjusted = .38). This means that rape myth acceptance and rape empathy, specifically empathy for the victim, significantly impact the way that individuals perceive instances of rape beyond the point of mere coincidence. This resulted in participants attributing less blame to the victim. The analysis also showed that rape myth acceptance significantly predicted attribution of responsibility for rape cases (β = .38, t (127) = 7.11, p < .001). Additionally, analysis indicated that rape empathy significantly predicted attribution of responsibility for instances of rape (β = .16, t (127) = 2.15, p < .05).
- Thesis:
- Thesis (M.S.)--Barry University, 2015.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-53).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Ashley Stovell. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- HV6561.S76 2015_StovellAshley ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- HV6561.S76 2015 ( lcc )
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