Student perceptions of dual relationships between faculty and students

One hundred sixty college undergraduates rated 109 hypothetical relationshi ps between a male faculty member and an undergraduate student in terms of t he degree to which they were sexual/dating, friendship/social, personal/cou nseling, business/financial, or professional/academic in nature and in term s of their intensity and appropriateness. Ratings of individual items revea led effects of gender of the student raters as well as gender of the studen t depicted in the scenarios. When students were depicted in personal but no t clearly sexual relationships, the relationship was rated as more sexual i f the student involved was a woman rather than a man. Moreover, female stud y participants were less likely to rate personal nonsexual relationships as having sexual overtones but were more sensitive to sexual overtones in exp licitly sexual behavior. Similarly, female participants were more likely to react negatively, giving lower ratings of professionalism and appropriaten ess to financially exploitative relationships. At the same time, women were more likely to perceive the more positive attributes of dual relationships , giving higher ratings of both professionalism and appropriateness to thos e relationships that were largely professional in nature.