PREDICTING UNIVERSITY FRESHMEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF THE OCCURRENCE OF DATE RAPE AS DEPICTED IN TWO VIDEOTAPED SCENARIOS
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Date
1994Author
Reynolds, Martha Sue
Advisor
Beck, Kenneth H.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which
certain variables (social context of drinking, alcohol use intensity,
experience of sexually aggressive behavior, level of dating skills and
social assertiveness, and perceived susceptibility related to date rape)
predict university freshmen's perception of whether or not date rape
occurred as depicted in two videotaped scenarios. Freshmen students
enrolled in an orientation course (N = 232) during Fall semester 1993
completed a voluntary and anonymous pretest questionnaire. The
questionnaire consisted of six scales developed to measure the variables
listed above; in addition to, demographic variables and items related to
sexual behavior. Within two class periods of completing the pre-test
questionnaire, students viewed a 15-minute videotape depicting two
potential date rape scenarios (one scenario presented the situation from
the male character's point of view [MARK], the other scenario was from
the female character's point of view [SUZANNE]). Immediately following
the videotape, students completed a brief post-video questionnaire to
assess their perceptions of the occurrence of date rape in the two
scenarios. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance were completed to
assess differences in independent measures based, on perception of the
occurrence of date rape. Of the variables explored, the only one which
provided any consistent significant findings was gender. For both
scenarios, females were more likely than males to perceive the situation
as date rape. With regard to social context of drinking, some ,of the
results hinted at a possible link between social context of drinking and the
perceptions of the occurrence of date rape. Subjects who reported
SUZANNE as being "date rape with some doubt'" were more likely to use
alcohol 1) to provide relief from external pressures; 2) in the context of
close family members or friends; and 3) to conform to the norms of the
group. Further analyses suggested that males who drink in certain social
contexts reported more doubt regarding the occurrence of date rape for
SUZANNE. This exploratory research study provides a broad foundation
for future research related to predicting college students' perceptions of
the occurrence of date rape.