Dissertation
Exploring the Shades of Gray: a Vignette Experiment
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005210
Abstract
Although frequently occurring, sexual assaults are one of the most underreported, under recorded, and under convicted type of crimes, also known as the dark figure of crime. This is especially true when the sexual assault does not fit the “classic rape scenario” involving a violent assault committed by a male stranger. A core component of a sexual crime is the absence of consent. Non-consent occurs when one of the parties involved in the sexual act is unwilling or incapable of choosing to engage in the sexual act, however, proving non-consent can be difficult, as evidenced by high attrition rates. Using vignette surveys of fictional sexual encounters delivered to 754 participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTURK), my dissertation examined how the construction of identities as well as situational characteristics influenced perceptions of the absence of consent. Each respondent rated three sexual assault scenarios associated with the gray zones: Campus Sexual Assault, Teacher/Student (Authority), and Intimate Partner on seven dependent variables: Victim Culpability, Perpetrator Accountability, Clarity of Consent, Victim Blame, Perpetrator Condemnation, Bystander Intervention, and Bystander Reporter. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that while communication of non-consent emerged as the most consistent predictor of non-consent at the situational level, much of the variance explained was associated with the respondents themselves indicating that gray zones are about an individuals’ perception and beliefs. From an intersectional lens (Crenshaw, 1993), focus was placed on the perpetrator and victim identity when determining consent/non-consent, emphasizing the strength of preconceived notions regarding sexual violence. Ultimately, this dissertation demonstrates that gray zones of consent are not as situationally determined as rape myths would predict but are instead truly determined in the eyes of the beholder.
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Details
- Title
- Exploring the Shades of Gray
- Creators
- Samantha Lynn Newman Tjaden
- Contributors
- Amelie Pedneault (Advisor)Melanie-Angela Neuilly (Wolf) (Committee Member)Dale Willits (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Criminal Justice and Criminology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 209
- Identifiers
- 99901019837601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation