College Students’ Responses to Burt’s Rape Myth Scales: An Analysis of the Psychometric Properties (original) (raw)
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A Psychometric Analysis and Practical Application of the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale
Mark D. Morin, 1992
This study was designed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Rape Myth Acceptance (RMA), Adversarial Sexual Beliefs (ASB), and Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence (AIV) scales as well as to assess whether high and low RMA males would differ in their perceptions of date rape. In Study 1, male subjects were asked to respond to the items that constitute Burt's RMA, ASB, and AIV scales. In Study 2, high and low scoring RMA males rated females' resistance during five stages of interaction with sexually assaultive males. When informed that each vignette culminated in intercourse, subjects also attributed this outcome to voluntary consent or forcible rape. The results of Study 1 were mixed. While item analyses produced results similar to earlier findings, both factor and regression analyses did not. Factor analysis showed that the underlying structure of the RMA scale remained stable over time, while the structures of the ASB and AIV scales did not. The regression analysis showed that ASB scores rather than AIV scores were the single best predictor of RMA scores. Additionally, Study 1 produced a refined attitudes toward rape scale that was relatively clean conceptually and sound psychometrically. The results for Study 2 were also mixed. Contrary to the hypothesis, high scoring RMA subjects did not judge low resisting females to be less resistant during the early stages of the rape vignettes than did low scoring RMA subjects. In fact, no evidence was obtained to show that RMA scores had a significant effect on any continuous rating of resistance. In contrast, high RMA subjects selected voluntary consent significantly more often than did low RMA subjects on the dichotomous measure of choice. Discussion indicated that the failure to replicate previous factor analytic results was probably due to chance, while the failure to replicate previous regression results was probably due to a genuine shift in attitudes that separates violence from date rape. Discussion also illustrated why the refined Attitudes Toward Rape Scale is potentially a better measure than the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale and why both scales may be more likely to produce globalized rather than localized effects. Suggestions for future research were also offered.
Journal of Research in Personality, 1999
A series of six studies were conducted to explore the structure underlying rape myths and to develop the 45-item Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (''IRMA''). In the first study, 604 participants (mean age 18.8 years, 53% women) rated their level of agreement with 95 pretested rape myth statements. Exploratory and confirmatory multivariate analyses revealed a structure consisting of both a general myth component and seven subcomponents. This structure was replicated in a second study using a new sample and paired comparisons methodology. Study 3 details the development procedures for the IRMA and presents statistics demonstrating its good psychometric properties. Finally, Studies 4-6 support the construct validity of the IRMA. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for theory, measurement, future research, and intervention.
Rape Myth Acceptance in College Students: How Far Have We Come?
Sex Roles, 1999
Researchers ha v e emphasiz ed the signi® cant role of rape myth acceptance in indi v iduals' predisposition to engage in sexually aggressi v e beha v ior, including rape. The purp ose of this study was to exam ine the current state of rape myth acceptance in college students and the factors which differentiated acceptance v s nonacceptance of rape myths. One hundred ® fty-eight primarily Caucasian respondents were pro v ided with two measures of attitudes toward rape an d asked the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with each statem ent. Results indicated that college students reported disagreem ent with rape myth statements. Howe v er, v ariations in the degree of disagreem ent emerged; men and indi v iduals who had not attended a rape awareness workshop expressed weaker disagreement with rape myths than women and indiv iduals who had attended a rape awareness workshop. Discriminant analysis of these v ariables successfully identi® ed a core set of rape myths which differentiated indi v iduals in terms of the degree to which they subscribed to rape-suppo rti v e attitudes. Conclusions were drawn regarding rape myth acceptance an d the need for further research.
Social Perception of RapeHow Rape Myth Acceptance Modulates the Influence of Situational Factors
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2004
This study assessed the role of rape myth acceptance (RMA) and situational factors in the perception of three different rape scenarios (date rape, marital rape, and stranger rape). One hundred and eighty-two psychology undergraduates were asked to emit four judgements about each rape situation: victim responsibility, perpetrator responsibility, intensity of trauma, and likelihood to report the crime to the police. It was hypothesized that neither RMA nor situational factors alone can explain how rape is perceived; it is the interaction between these two factors that best account for social reactions to sexual aggression. The results generally supported the authors' hypothesis: Victim blame, estimation of trauma, and the likelihood of reporting the crime to the police were best explained by the interaction between observer characteristics, such as RMA, and situational clues. That is, the less stereotypic the rape situation was, the greater was the influence of attitudes toward rape on attributions.
Abnormal Sexual Assault Situations and Its Influence on Rape Myth Acceptance
2013
The crime of rape, unwanted sexual contact, is a heavily researched topic in the sociological field. The majority of research, however, has revolved around incidences of stranger rape and the typical gender combination of male offender and female victim. The updated Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale was created to measure the level of participants agree with the typical rape myths of: she asked for it, he didn’t mean to, it wasn’t really rape, and she lied. This research study was designed to test the influence of gender in rape situations and how this affects the acceptance of rape myths. In addition, this acceptance of rape myths was compared with the likeliness to report stranger rape, acquaintance rape, and dating rape; along with the likeliness of having a consistent definition with the official one. Four separate surveys were distributed to 312 participants. Survey A contained situations of male-on female rape, survey B had female-on-male, survey C had female-on-female, and ...
Psychology of Women Quarterly, 1994
Theories of sexual aggression and victimization have increasingly emphasized the role of rape myths in the perpetuation of sexual assault. Rape myths are attitudes and generally false beliefs about rape that are widely and persistently held, and that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women. Acceptance of such myths has been assessed with a number of measures, and investigators have examined its relationship with numerous variables and interventions. Although there has been extensive research in this area, definitions, terminology, and measures of rape myth acceptance (RMA) continue to lack adequate theoretical and psychometric precision. Despite such criticisms, we emphasize that the significance of this type of research cannot be overstated because it has immense potential for the understanding of sexual assault. The present article offers a theory-based definition of rape myths, reviews and critiques the literature on rape myth acceptance, and suggests directions for future research. In particular we argue that such work must include the development and application of improved measures, with more concern for the theoretical and methodological issues unique to this field.
The bulk of research on acquaintance rape has focused on higher educated students. Studies revealed a positive relationship between sexually coercive behaviors and rape-supportive attitudes or rape myth acceptance. Despite much research, sexually coercive behaviors have not subsided, especially on college and university campuses. The current study investigated these factors but also tried to determine the level of awareness on acquaintance rape between males and females. Higher educated individuals (n= 152) were asked to participate in a 7-point Likert scale survey, which consisted of the Sexual Beliefs & Behavior Scale (SBBS), the Mejia's Awareness on Acquaintance Rape (MAAR), and the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance (IRMAS) scale. The first hypothesis that males would have less significant level of awareness, compared to females on what constitutes acquaintance rape was supported. The second hypothesis was also supported with results revealing a correlation between sexually coercive behaviors based on scores from the SBBS and rape-supportive attitudes based on scores from the MAAR and IRMA scales. The current study not only reiterated the importance of education to further awareness surrounding sexually coercive behaviors such as rape, particularly acquaintance rape, but also investigated the factors that may contribute sexually coercive behaviors.
The Structure of Rape Attitudes for Men and Women: A Three-Factor Model
Journal of Research in Personality, 1998
The present study used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to evaluate the generalizability of extant measurement models derived for the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (RMA; Burt, 1980; Briere, Malamuth, & Check, 1985). For samples of females restricted or unrestricted by current romantic relationship status, and for an unrestricted sample of males, models were inadequate. For both female samples, RMA responses were best explained by a modified 12-item version of Briere et al.'s original model. The new model consisted of three correlated factors (Disbelief of Rape Claims, Blame the Victim, Rape Reports as Manipulation). Demonstrating gender invariance, multi-group analyses revealed that the three-factor model provided a comparable goodness-of-fit for male data. Additional analyses demonstrated the discriminant validity of the three RMA factors when considered as a function of individual differences in dispositional empathy among males and females. Future researchers can use the oblique three-factor model to better conceptualize and measure rape myth beliefs.
She asked for it: statistics and predictors of rape myth acceptance
2016
Where rape exists, there are people who believe in cultural myths about rape causes and victims. Acceptance of these rape myths increases and decreases based on many predictors; the present study investigated how rape myth acceptance varied in different populations on the campus of a small, private, liberal arts university. Although overall rape myth acceptance on campus was relatively low, analyses revealed that female participant sex, knowing a victim, and being able to identify contextual sexual assaults were predictive of lower rape myth acceptance. Additional hypotheses and research questions were tested but showed non-significant results. The findings of this study can be used to advise faculty and staff regarding specific programs aimed at further lowering rape myth acceptance on campus; specific details and suggestions are discussed.
Aggression and Violent Behavior
Rape myth acceptance is considered an established risk factor for male-onfemale sexual violence, and is therefore the target of a number of primary prevention programmes. However, there is not a clear evidence base substantiating the role of rape myth acceptance in sexual violence, nor any reviews of recent literature. This review systematically searched relevant Psychology and Social Science databases in Autumn 2016, in order to collate cross-sectional and longitudinal research on the association between rape myth acceptance and self-reported sexual violence. The analysis established associations between these variables in all but one study (Warren, Swan, & Allen, 2015), and two longitudinal studies demonstrated that rape myth acceptance differentiates non-perpetrators from those who go on to exhibit sexual violence behaviours. These findings provide support for the targeting of rape myth acceptance in primary prevention strategies. However, a number of failings within this literature were also identified: instruments used to analyse rape myth acceptance were widely varied; the comprehensiveness of study reporting was universally flawed; measures were rarely taken to ensure participants were heterosexual men; and there remains a dearth of longitudinal evidence, as well as a lack of research outside of the United States. Future directions and other limitations are discussed.