UNDERSTANDING ATTRIBUTIONS OF BLAME IN STRANGER RAPE AND DATE RAPE SITUATIONS - AN EXAMINATION OF GENDER, RACE, IDENTIFICATION, AND STUDENTS SOCIAL PERCEPTIONS OF RAPE VICTIMS

This study examined factors that may influence attributions of rape vi ctims. Three hundred and three university students completed a questio nnaire, which included a measure of dispositional empathy and a vignet te depicted either a date rape or a stranger rape situation. Subjects rated the extent that they blamed the rape victim as well as the degre e to which they identified with the victim and perpetrator. Results in dicated that male students blamed the victim to a greater extent than did female students; students consistently attributed more blame to th e victim in date rape situations than they did in stranger rape situat ions; and, while empathy was not associated with students' attribution s, perceptions of similarity to the rape victim and perpetrator were b oth related to attributions of blame. These findings are consistent wi th the notion of ''judgmental leniency'' presented in Shaver's defensi ve attribution theory (1970). Implications for rape prevention efforts and future research are also discussed.