scholarly journals Perceptions of Sexual Assault: Effects of Victim Physiological Arousal and Victim Gender on Jurors’ Decisions

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra Starosta ◽  
Regina A. Schuller
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Rape Myths ◽  
Physiological Arousal ◽  
Juror Decision Making ◽  
Juror Bias ◽  
Female Victim ◽  
Male Victim ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Victim Gender

Limited research has assessed juror decision making in cases of female perpetrated sexual assault and the role played by factors such as the victim’s gender, physiological arousal, and participant’s gender in the decision making process. Participants (n = 215) were presented with one of four trial vignettes that varied the perpetrator and victim’s gender and victim’s physiological arousal. The impact of these variables was examined on guilty verdicts rendered, credibility, and blameworthiness of the victim and accused. Results demonstrate that the male victim was blamed more than the female victim. Further, male participants viewed the male victim to be less credible than the female victim. Lastly, male participants viewed the accused to be more credible when the victim was depicted as a male with signs of physiological arousal. The results reveal the disadvantages a male victim of female perpetrated sexual assault may face if he pursues his sexual assault at trial. Keywords: sexual assault, rape myths, juror bias, gender, physiological arousal

Judgments About Male Victims of Sexual Assault by Women: A 35-Year Replication Study

2022 ◽  
pp. 088626052110629
Author(s):  
Emma K. PeConga ◽  
Jacqueline E. Spector ◽  
Ronald E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Rape Myths ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Male Victim ◽  
Female Victims ◽  
Generational Changes ◽  
Male Cohort ◽  
Gender Pattern ◽  
Male Rape Myths ◽  
Victim Gender

Sexual assault of men by women has received increasing attention in recent years, as has research on rape myths about male victims. This study is a cross-generational replication of a 1984 study of college students’ judgments about male and female victims in a scenario involving a sexual assault carried out by male or female assailants. The 1984 data ( n = 172) were compared with those of a 2019 cohort ( n = 372) in a 2 (participant gender) x 2 (assailant gender) x 2 (victim gender) x 2 (cohort) factorial design to assess potential generational changes in perceptions of victims. Judgments by male participants of male victims of assaults carried out by women changed notably over time. The 2019 male cohort was less likely to judge that the victim initiated or encouraged the incident (40% in 1984 compared with 15% in 2019) and derived pleasure from it (47.4% in 1984 compared with 5.8% in 2019). In contrast, the 2019 female cohort was more likely to attribute victim encouragement (26.9% compared with 4.3% in 1984) and pleasure to the male victim (25% in 2019 compared with 5% in 1984). A similar gender pattern occurred in judgments of how stressful the event was for the male victim. Analysis of the 2019 data revealed that overall, despite scientific and cultural shifts that have occurred over the past three decades, participants continued to judge the male victim of assault by a female to have been more encouraging and to have experienced more pleasure and less stress than in any other assailant/victim gender combination. Results are discussed in relation to gendered stereotypical beliefs and male rape myths, as well as possible sensitization to power differentials inspired by the #MeToo movement. We emphasize the need for greater awareness and empirical attention to abuse that runs counter to preconceived notions about sexual victimization.

Focal Concerns and Police Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802199128
Author(s):  
David S. Lapsey ◽  
Bradley A. Campbell ◽  
Bryant T. Plumlee
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Campbell Collaboration ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Police Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

Sexual assault and case attrition at the arrest stage are serious problems in the United States. Focal concerns have increasingly been used to explain police decision making in sexual assault cases. Because of the popularity of the focal concerns perspective and potential to inform evidence-based training, a systematic review and meta-analysis are needed to condense the literature. In this study, we assess the overall strength of the relationship between focal concerns variables and police decisions to arrest in cases of sexual assault. Our assessment of the effects of focal concerns variables on arrest decision making in sexual assault cases followed the systematic review protocols provided by the Campbell Collaboration of Systematic Reviews. Specifically, we used the Campbell Collaboration recommendations to search empirical literature and used meta-analysis to evaluate the size, direction, and strength of the impact of focal concerns variables on arrest decisions. Our search strategy detected 14 eligible studies and 79 effect sizes. The meta-analysis found several robust and statistically significant correlates of arrest. In fact, each focal concerns concept produced at least one robust arrest correlate. Overall, focal concerns offers a strong approach for explaining police decisions in sexual assault cases. Although practical concerns and resource constraints produced the strongest arrest correlates, results show the importance of additional case characteristics in officers’ decision to arrest.

The Effects of Victim Gender, Defendant Gender, and Defendant Age on Juror Decision Making

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna D. Pozzulo ◽  
Julie Dempsey ◽  
Evelyn Maeder ◽  
Laura Allen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Juror Decision Making ◽  
Mock Jurors ◽  
Female Defendant ◽  
Victim Gender

Mock jurors provided credibility ratings for a victim (12 years old) and defendant when victim gender, defendant gender, and defendant age (15 vs. 40 years old) were manipulated. Verdicts and sentence recommendations also were assessed. Higher guilt ratings were found for a male versus female defendant. Juror gender was examined as a covariate in the analyses. Female jurors rated the victim higher on accuracy, truthfulness, and believability than male jurors. Male jurors rated the defendant higher on reliability, credibility, truthfulness, and believability than female jurors. Male jurors perceived the victim to desire and cause the crime to a greater extent than female jurors. Mock jurors rated the victim as more responsible for the crime with an older versus younger defendant. Female jurors ascribed higher responsibility to the defendant compared to male jurors. The younger versus older defendant was perceived to have desired the event but only when the victim was female versus male.

Not separate but equal? The impact of multiple-defendant trials on juror decision-making

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miko M. Wilford ◽  
Monica C. Van Horn ◽  
Steven D. Penrod ◽  
Sarah M. Greathouse
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Juror Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

A third verdict option: Exploring the impact of the not proven verdict on mock juror decision making.

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorraine Hope ◽  
Edith Greene ◽  
Amina Memon ◽  
Melanie Gavisk ◽  
Kate Houston
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Mock Juror ◽  
Juror Decision Making ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The Impact of Defendant Gender and Attractiveness on Juror Decision-Making in a Sexual Offense Case

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Georgia M. Winters ◽  
Carisa M. Collins ◽  
Leah E. Kaylor ◽  
Elizabeth L. Jeglic
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Juror Decision Making ◽  
Sexual Offense ◽  
The Impact

Perceptions of Domestic Violence in Heterosexual Relationships: Impact of Victim Gender and History of Response

Partner Abuse ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl A. Terrance, ◽  
Karyn M. Plumm, ◽  
Shea A. Thomas,
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Violence ◽  
Previous History ◽  
Gender Effects ◽  
Heterosexual Relationships ◽  
Female Victim ◽  
Male Victim ◽  
Heterosexual Relationship ◽  
History Of ◽  
Perceptions Of Domestic Violence ◽  
Victim Gender

Within the context of a heterosexual relationship, participants (n= 197) read a police interview involving a claim of domestic violence that varied the gender of the victim. Within gender conditions, the victim’s previous history of response to the violence, and on the evening in question, was portrayed as either passive or active (i.e., fought back). Results support the notion of a prototypical domestic violence victim that has emerged within a gendered framework. Overall, the female victim was perceived in a more sympathetic light than the male victim was. Interaction effects showed that men, but not women, rated the male victim as more responsible for the assault than the female victim. Participant gender effects indicated that women rated the victim and their claim of victimization more favorably than men did. Implications within the courtroom are discussed.

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