Attribution of Responsibility for Sexual Assault: The Influence of Observer Empathy and Defendant Occupation and Attractiveness

Abstract

Summary This study investigated the influence of two separate components of defendant attractiveness (physical attractiveness and occupation), subject sex, and subjects' pre-trial empathic biases on attributions of responsibility for rape. Subjects were presented with one of four descriptions of a hypothetical rape case, in which the defendant was described as either a physically attractive or unattractive janitor or scientist. Dependent measures consisted of 12 questions, based upon the hypothetical rape case, and included attributions of responsibility for the incident, social perceptions of the rape victim and defendant, certainty of the defendant's guilt, and proposed sentence for the defendant. In accord with previous research, both components of defendant attractiveness, as well as observer sex, were predictive of subjects' perceptions of the rape victim and defendant. However, evidence for Berscheid and Walster's contention that attractiveness operates as a main effect was moderated by the finding that attractiveness interacted with observer sex and with the pretrial empathic bias of the observer. Main effects and interactions for observers' empathy toward rape victims and rapists were revealed. The implications of the research for juror selection in rape cases and for the low conviction rate for sexual assault are discussed.