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Differing Perceptions of Criminal Behavior: Sexual Assault Versus Violent Non-Sexual Crimes

Gresley, Jamee Lee
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1397042757

Abstract Details

2014, Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, Psychology, General.
Previous research has examined how people attribute blame to individuals in crime scenarios and the effects of different crimes on victims. This study examined the effects of Crime Type (i.e. rape and violent non-sexual assault), Perpetrator Age, and Perpetrator-Victim Relationship on observers' feelings of disgust, attributions of responsibility, and their recommended sentence length. University of Dayton psychology undergraduates read a crime scenario that varied according to the above factors and answered questions assessing their level of disgust, recommended sentence length, willingness to be associated with the perpetrator, belief in a just world (BJW), rape myth acceptance (RMA), and their attributions of responsibility for the perpetrator and victim. Participants endorsed higher levels of disgust for rape than for violent non-sexual assault, and recommended longer prison sentences for a perpetrator who was older (vs. younger) and an acquaintance (vs. a stranger). These results indicate that participants viewed older offenders the most negatively, and therefore these offenders may experience difficulty during reintegration.
Dario Rodriguez (Advisor)
78 p.
Psychology
criminal behavior; sexual assault; rape; perceptions

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gresley, J. L. (2014). Differing Perceptions of Criminal Behavior: Sexual Assault Versus Violent Non-Sexual Crimes [Master's thesis, University of Dayton]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1397042757

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gresley, Jamee. Differing Perceptions of Criminal Behavior: Sexual Assault Versus Violent Non-Sexual Crimes. 2014. University of Dayton, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1397042757.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gresley, Jamee. "Differing Perceptions of Criminal Behavior: Sexual Assault Versus Violent Non-Sexual Crimes." Master's thesis, University of Dayton, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1397042757

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

dayton1397042757
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This open access ETD is published by University of Dayton and OhioLINK.