The Role of Race and Respectability in Attributions of Responsibility for Acquaintance Rape

Abstract

Previous researchers have explored the role of race and respectability, independently, on attributions of responsibility; however, the interaction between race and respectability has not been analyzed in situations of acquaintance rape. Participants (N = 241) read a vignette detailing a case of acquaintance rape that manipulated the race of both the victim and the perpetrator and the respectability of the victim. Regression and ANOVA analyses indicated that victim race and respectability interacted in such a way that when Black victims were respectable, they were held less responsible than respectable White victims; however, less respected Black victims were held more responsible than less respected White victims. Manipulating perpetrator race revealed surprising results; the White perpetrator was found guilty more often than the Black perpetrator (although this appeared to be related to victim race).