Abstract
Women’s behaviour during and after a sexual assault is often considered as an indicator of whether they are genuine victims. The current study explores the influence of victim resistance and victim emotionality on juror decision-making to determine if such stereotypes influence perceptions of sexual assault. Participants (n = 210) were assigned to one of four conditions where victim resistance (high vs low) and victim emotionality (high vs low) were manipulated. Results showed that victim resistance had a significant effect on juror judgments. In the high resistance conditions, more guilty verdicts were chosen and victims were perceived as more credible, less blameworthy, and less demonstrative of consent. Participant gender also had a significant influence on juror judgments. Meanwhile, emotionality only influenced some judgments, namely victim stereotypicality and chosen verdict. These findings demonstrate the need for education to challenge persisting rape myths that harm sexual assault victims and court proceedings.
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