The Influence of the Victim's Consumption of Alcohol on Perceptions of Stranger and Acquaintance Rape

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that observers perceive rape victims who consume alcohol prior to being assaulted as more culpable for the attack than they do nondrinking victims. It is uncertain whether such attributional biases result from the victim's perceived violation of traditional gender norms or from the presumption that drinking victims are ambiguous in their refusal of sexual advances. The mediating effects of the victim's relationship to the attacker and knowledge of the outcome of the attack on observers' perceptions of victim responsibility are also unclear. The present study was conducted to clarify the influence of victim alcohol consumption, familiarity with attacker, and outcome of attack on participants' attributions about rape in nondating situations by systematically manipulating these variables in scenarios read by subjects. Results indicated that female subjects were more likely to blame the victim if she had consumed alcohol prior to the assault. Participants also rated the victim as less culpable if she was attacked by an acquaintance and as more responsible—and less cautious—if she had consumed alcohol and if the rape was completed rather than attempted.