title: Mock Juror Perceptions of Rape Victims: Impact of Case Characteristics and Individual Differences.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine mock juror perceptions of rape victims based on the sex of the offender and victim (male offender/female victim vs. female offender/male victim), relationship to the offender (stranger vs. acquaintance vs. intimate partner), revictimization (no revictimization vs. revictimization), and individual differences in rape myth acceptance (RMA) and life history strategy (LHS). Participants (N = 332) read a vignette describing a forcible rape scenario and completed victim and perpetrator blame scales, the Mini-K, and a gender-neutral Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Results indicated increased victim blame in revictimization conditions, as well as female offender/male victim conditions. A significant mediation effect of LHS on victim blame through the indirect effect of RMA was found, which is predicted from life history theory. Implications of these findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA smsommer@comcast.net.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sommer
authors.affiliation: University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA.
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kehn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception
keywords: life history strategy; perceptions of rape victims; sexual assault