Irina Anderson

Characterological and Behavioral Blame in Conversations about Female and Male Rape

This study investigated the spontaneous occurrence of characterological and behavioral blame in talk about rape. Although participants are willing to attribute both types of blame to rape survivors when prompted to do so by preexisting categories on questionnaires, little is known about the naturalistic aspect of these concepts as they might occur during the course of conversation. The present study also examined how participant and survivor gender influence these attributions. Findings showed that observers attributed both characterological and behavioral blame to rape survivors spontaneously during the course of conversation and in similar proportions to the self-blame observed in rape survivors. Also, both men and women blamed female and male survivors differently. Both men and women attributed more behavioral blame to the female than to the male survivor. Men also attributed more characterological blame to the female than to the male survivor, whereas female participants attributed equal amounts of characterological blame to both survivors.

Gender differences in medical students' attitudes towards male and female rape victims

This study examines attitudes towards female and male rape victims (ARVS, Ward, 1988) among UK medical students (N = 240; 120 females and 120 males). The studys hypotheses, namely, that male respondents will view rape victims more negatively than female respondents and that male victims will be viewed more negatively than female victims, were supported. Implications of the findings in relation to the inclusion of sexual violence teaching in UK medical undergraduate curricula, and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Good Thinking or Gut Feeling? Cognitive Reflection and Intuition in Traders, Bankers and Financial Non-Experts

The current study investigated differences in decision-making style and risk-taking between financial traders, non-trading bank employees, and people not working in finance. Traders scored significantly higher than participants in the other two groups on the cognitive reflection test (CRT) which measures the tendency to inhibit automatic but frequently false responses in reasoning tasks. Scores for traders compared to people outside the banking sector were also higher on a self-rated scale for reflective thinking in decision-making, but there were no differences in self-rated intuitive thinking between groups. Financial risk-taking correlated with cognitive reflection scores and was significantly lower in the non-expert group compared to the other groups working in financial services. Traders in the current study showed no elevated preference to use ‘intuition’ in their decision-making compared to other groups. Overall, these results indicate that compared to non-expert participants financial traders have a higher self-rated tendency for reflective thinking and a greater propensity to inhibit the use of mental shortcuts (heuristics) in decision-making.

Can Norm Theory Explain the Effects of Victim Age and Level of Physical Maturity on Perceptions of Child Sexual Abuse

The present study examines the effects of victim age, victim physical maturity, and respondent gender on attributions toward victims, perpetrator, and the nonoffending members of the victim’s family in a hypothetical child sexual abuse (CSA) case. Participants read a brief CSA vignette in which the male perpetrator (a school caretaker) sexually abuses a student in the school changing rooms. The victim was depicted as either a 12- or 15-year-old girl who, in terms of physical maturity, was either pre- or postpubescent. Separate 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVAs were performed on the dependent variables. Results conformed broadly to the study’s predictions with younger victims being viewed more negatively than older victims and the victim’s physical appearance being viewed as more encouraging of CSA for the younger than for the older girl. Female participants were more likely to endorse the belief that the younger victim should have fought back and that the prepubescent 15-year-old victim should have fought back more than her postpubescent counterpart. While attributions toward the perpetrator and victim’s family did not differ across conditions for women, men tended to blame the perpetrator more when victims were younger and the family more when victims were less physically mature. Findings are discussed in relation to norm theory principles, just world theory, and the defensive attribution hypothesis.

Blame and fault attributions in sexual violence: are these distinct?

Purpose – This study seeks to examine whether blame and fault assigned to victims and perpetrators in a hypothetical sexual violence case are distinct conceptually, and whether they are affected by gender of participant, perpetrator and victim.Design/methodology/approach – Participants read an incident of either female or male rape, perpetrated by either a female or a male, and assigned attributions of blame and fault to both victims and perpetrators. Participants also completed Burts Rape Myth Acceptance Scale.Findings – Findings showed that none of the independent variables had any effect on victim attributions of blame and fault, only affecting blame and fault assigned to perpetrators. Perpetrators of male victim rape were assigned more blame than perpetrators of female victim rape. In terms of fault: male participants reduced the amount of fault that they attributed to female perpetrators relative to male perpetrators; and female participants increased the amount of fault that they attributed to fema...

Gender, shame and sexual violence: the voices of witnesses and court members at war crimes tribunals

For this issue we present two reviews of books written from a qualitative perspective on the sexual offence of rape, and attitudes towards this crime from the viewpoints of individuals involved in the criminal justice process, including the victims of such crimes. First, Irina Anderson presents a review of Sharratt’s (2011) book Gender, Shame and Sexual Violence: The Voices of Witnesses and Court Members at War Crimes Tribunals (Ashgate, ISBN 978 1 40941 999 0). Louise Enderby then presents a review of Horvath and Brown’s book Rape: Challenging Contemporary Thinking (Willan Publishing, ISBN 978 1 84392 520 0). Both reviews discuss the importance of rape myths and their impact on victims and professionals within the criminal justice system, and how these cases are processed. From both reviews it is clear that further educating those within the criminal justice system is thought to be required and particularly vital for improving victims’ experiences post-victimisation, and medico-legal professionals’ understanding of how victims should be responded to. On behalf of the journal we would like to express thanks to the authors for the time, effort and consideration taken to complete the book reviews and we hope that their reflections on the nature and content of the texts will entice readers to purchase copies of the books.