Cognitive processes underlying women's risk judgments: associations with sexual victimization history and rape myth acceptance

Elizabeth A Yeater; Teresa A Treat; Richard J Viken; Richard M McFall

doi:10.1037/a0019297

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Cognitive processes underlying women's risk judgments: associations with sexual victimization history and rape myth acceptance

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Cognitive processes underlying women's risk judgments: associations with sexual victimization history and rape myth acceptance

Elizabeth A Yeater, Teresa A Treat, Richard J Viken and Richard M McFall

Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, Vol.78(3), pp.375-386

06/2010

DOI: 10.1037/a0019297

PMID: 20515212

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Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of sexual victimization history, rape myth acceptance, implicit attention, and recent learning on the cognitive processes underlying undergraduate women's explicit risk judgments. Participants were 194 undergraduate women between 18 and 24 years of age. The sample was ethnically diverse and composed primarily of freshman, heterosexual, and single women. Stimuli were written vignettes describing social situations that varied on dimensions of sexual victimization risk and potential impact on women's popularity. Participants completed cognitive tasks assessing relative attention to victimization risk versus popularity impact, learning about either risk or popularity impact, and explicit classification of victimization risk. Participants then completed the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) and the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale; SES responses were used to quantify the severity of victimization experiences. More severe victimization history predicted use of higher thresholds for judging situations as risky, as well as lower sensitivity to risk and greater sensitivity to popularity impact when judging risk. Greater rape myth acceptance also predicted lower sensitivity to risk information. Higher relative attention to victimization risk predicted greater sensitivity to risk information when judging risk. Recent learning about either the risk or the popularity impact aspects of social situations modified sensitivity to risk versus popularity when making risk judgments. The study emphasizes the importance of distinguishing the threshold for judging situations as risky from sensitivity to risk-relevant information in understanding individual differences in women's risk judgments. Both processes may be important to consider when developing interventions to reduce women's risk for sexual victimization.

Rape - psychology

Crime Victims - psychology

Humans

Risk

Cognition

Social Environment

Coercion

Young Adult

Adolescent

Individuality

Female

Sex Offenses - psychology

Culture

Judgment

Details

Title: Subtitle: Cognitive processes underlying women's risk judgments: associations with sexual victimization history and rape myth acceptance
Creators: Elizabeth A Yeater - Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1161, USA. eyeater@unm.edu
Teresa A Treat
Richard J Viken
Richard M McFall
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, Vol.78(3), pp.375-386
DOI: 10.1037/a0019297
PMID: 20515212
NLM abbreviation: J Consult Clin Psychol
ISSN: 0022-006X
eISSN: 1939-2117
Publisher: United States
Language: English
Date published: 06/2010
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences
Record Identifier: 9984002492902771

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