Older and younger adults' attributions of responsibility toward rape victims and rapists.

Abstract
Young men and women and older men and women with average ages of 19 years and 58 years, respectively, made judgments of assailant and victim responsibility for a sexual assault. Subjects were assigned to one of three conditions: they either viewed slides of an assault, read a passage about the crime, or read the passage and, in addition, saw photographs of both the assailant and the victim. The rapist was presented as either a well-dressed or poorly dressed young man, and the victim appeared either as a provocative or demure young woman. Subjects also learned that the victim either physically resisted or failed to resist the assailant. Results showed that young adults attributed more responsibility to the assailant than did older adults, and that the provocative woman was perceived as more responsible for the victimization than the demure woman. Young people attributed greater responsibility to the victim when she resisted the assault of a well-dressed assailant than when she resisted a poorly dressed assailant. Younger and older women attributed less responsibility to the demure woman when she was assaulted by a poorly dressed assailant than a well dressed assailant. The man was considered less responsible for his attack when he was well-dressed and the victim was provocative and resistant than when the victim was demure and resistant. Young subjects, in contrast to older subjects, who visually observed the crime held the victim more responsible for her victimization. Results were interpreted in terms of Walster''s (1966) defensive attribution hypothesis and Kelly''s (1973) discounting principle of attribution.