Premium
Reactions to the rape victim as a function of victim age
Author(s) -
Calhoun Lawrence G.,
Selby James W.,
Long Gary T.,
Laney Shirley
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(198004)8:2<172::aid-jcop2290080212>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - age groups , psychology , punishment (psychology) , demography , developmental psychology , social psychology , sociology
The present study investigated the effects of the age of a victim on social reactions to a rape incident. The findings indicated limited but reliable effects of age on the way respondents reacted to the rape episode. There was a greater tendency for the characteristics and the behavior of the victim to be viewed as factors in causing the rape when the victim was in the middle age ranges than when she was in the extreme age range (six‐years‐old or 76‐years‐old). Respondents also favored more severe punishment for the assailant when the victim was at the extremes of the age distribution.