Compares male and female rape reporting behavior using data from the National Crime and Victimization Survey for 897 rape victims. Data indicate that the situational characteristics of rape and factors that influence reporting a rape differ by sex. Women reported victimization more frequently than did men. (SLD)

While the issue of rape evokes strong responses, confusion seems to occur not when a blitz or stranger rape occurs, but when an acquaintance or date rape occurs. This study assessed acquaintance rape scripts given a preset scenario. Subjects included female college students (N=32) and male college students (N=19). Subjects were given a scenario…

The prevalence of rape points to a need for effective prevention strategies. Ultimately, however, preventing rape necessitates changing men's attitudes and behavior. This study investigated the effects of a lecture aimed at changing the attitudes of men. Also investigated were the effects of lecturer sex (male, female, or male-female team or no…

According to a recent study a rape occurs every 7 minutes and 60% of those rapes happen on dates. This study examined the impact of assault outcomes (rape, avoidance) and victim's power strategy (direct/bilateral, indirect/unilateral) on male and female evaluations of a date rape situation. College students (N=121) listened to a taped dialogue and…

Society does not view rape seriously. Few rape crimes are successfully prosecuted. Rape results in permanent alteration of the victim's life. Besides street rape there is no consensus on the definition of rape. This study attempts to gather people's perceptions of rape. Subjects (N=96) were approached randomly and accepted if they fit into desired…

Public reactions to rape affect victims in a variety of ways and have implications for psychological services and legal adjudication of rape defendants. To investigate reactions to rape, 144 undergraduates were randomly assigned to a 2 (male versus female subjects) x 2 (victim with versus without rape history) x 3 (high versus medium versus low…

While it has been asserted that rape has increased in frequency over the past generation, part of this increase may be due to a greater willingness to report rape to the authorities. A study was conducted to examine the frequency of rape and to describe the characteristics of rape victims. A random questionnaire survey of 4,340 adults in five…

Shaver's Defensive Attribution concept suggests that subjects who perceive themselves as similar to a rape victim attribute less responsibility to the victim, thus protecting themselves against blame should they ever be victims. Studies have supported this interpretation for females, but have reported difficulty interpreting the responses of…

Experimental research on social perceptions of rape victims has been conducted within the framework of two different models. The first, a naive observer model, is oriented toward how the average person perceives a rape victim and how her character and aspects of her behavior affect these perceptions. The second, a jury process model, is directed…

This study examined the relationship of social influence to attributions of responsibility for rape. Subjects, 86 male and female college students, the majority of whom were 18-22 years old, read a scenario describing an incident of rape at a fraternity party. Situations of varying presence and absence of modeling were portrayed, although in all…

This study examined the effects of victim gender and type of crime on college students' attributions of responsibility to the victim for the crime. Male (N=48) and female (N=48) undergraduates responded to one of four experimental vignettes depicting either a rape or a robbery committed by a male stranger against either a male or female victim.…

Acquaintance rape has been found to occur with disturbing frequency in an adolescents' social world. Unlike stranger rape, acquaintance rape, particularly dating rape, takes place in the context of normal social activity. In 1978, 432 adolescents, ages 14-18, were interviewed in the Los Angeles area: half male, and half female, and one-third drawn…

Degree of belief in rape myths as determined by participant gender, attitudes about the role of women in contemporary society, and factual knowledge of rape was investigated in a sample of 118 male and 126 female college students. The results support the general assumption that a rape ideology exists which involves components of belief in rape…

Beliefs about the effectiveness of rape prevention strategies influence public cooperation in their implementation. To acquaint public policy makers with these beliefs and to help them assess their impact, a three-city telephone survey of adults was conducted using a random sampling of ages, races, male and female, married and unmarried, from all…

Rape is believed to be one of the most underreported crimes with 3 to 10 rapes committed for every one that is reported. Rape represents an extreme behavior which can be placed on a continuum of sexual aggression defined by degrees of coercion and force. The prevalence of sexual aggression among college students nationally was examined in 3,187…