Understanding How University Students Use Perceptions of Consent, Wantedness, and Pleasure in Labeling Rape

Authors: Hills, P.J., Pleva, M., Seib, E. and Cole, T.

Journal: Archives of Sexual Behavior

Volume: 50

Issue: 1

Pages: 247-262

eISSN: 1573-2800

ISSN: 0004-0002

DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01772-1

Abstract:

While the lack of consent is the only determining factor in considering whether a situation is rape or not, there is sufficient evidence that participants conflate wantedness with consent and pleasurableness with wantedness. Understanding how people appraise sexual scenarios may form the basis to develop appropriate educational packages. We conducted two large-scale qualitative studies in two UK universities in which participants read vignettes describing sexual encounters that were consensual or not, wanted or unwanted and pleasurable or not pleasurable. Participants provided free-text responses as to whether they perceived the scenarios to be rape or not and why they made these judgments. The second study replicated the results of the first and included a condition where participants imagined themselves as either the subject or initiator of the sexual encounter. The results indicate that a significant portion of our participants held attitudes reflecting rape myths and tended to blame the victim. Participants used distancing language when imagining themselves in the initiator condition. Participants indicated that they felt there were degrees of how much a scenario reflected rape rather than it simply being a dichotomy (rape or not). Such results indicate a lack of understanding of consent and rape and highlight avenues of potential educational materials for schools, universities or jurors.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/34285/

Source: Scopus

Understanding How University Students Use Perceptions of Consent, Wantedness, and Pleasure in Labeling Rape.

Authors: Hills, P.J., Pleva, M., Seib, E. and Cole, T.

Journal: Arch Sex Behav

Volume: 50

Issue: 1

Pages: 247-262

eISSN: 1573-2800

DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01772-1

Abstract:

While the lack of consent is the only determining factor in considering whether a situation is rape or not, there is sufficient evidence that participants conflate wantedness with consent and pleasurableness with wantedness. Understanding how people appraise sexual scenarios may form the basis to develop appropriate educational packages. We conducted two large-scale qualitative studies in two UK universities in which participants read vignettes describing sexual encounters that were consensual or not, wanted or unwanted and pleasurable or not pleasurable. Participants provided free-text responses as to whether they perceived the scenarios to be rape or not and why they made these judgments. The second study replicated the results of the first and included a condition where participants imagined themselves as either the subject or initiator of the sexual encounter. The results indicate that a significant portion of our participants held attitudes reflecting rape myths and tended to blame the victim. Participants used distancing language when imagining themselves in the initiator condition. Participants indicated that they felt there were degrees of how much a scenario reflected rape rather than it simply being a dichotomy (rape or not). Such results indicate a lack of understanding of consent and rape and highlight avenues of potential educational materials for schools, universities or jurors.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/34285/

Source: PubMed

Understanding How University Students Use Perceptions of Consent, Wantedness, and Pleasure in Labeling Rape

Authors: Hills, P.J., Pleva, M., Seib, E. and Cole, T.

Journal: ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

Volume: 50

Issue: 1

Pages: 247-262

eISSN: 1573-2800

ISSN: 0004-0002

DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01772-1

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/34285/

Source: Web of Science (Lite)

Understanding How University Students Use Perceptions of Consent, Wantedness, and Pleasure in Labeling Rape.

Authors: Hills, P.J., Pleva, M., Seib, E. and Cole, T.

Journal: Archives of sexual behavior

Volume: 50

Issue: 1

Pages: 247-262

eISSN: 1573-2800

ISSN: 0004-0002

DOI: 10.1007/s10508-020-01772-1

Abstract:

While the lack of consent is the only determining factor in considering whether a situation is rape or not, there is sufficient evidence that participants conflate wantedness with consent and pleasurableness with wantedness. Understanding how people appraise sexual scenarios may form the basis to develop appropriate educational packages. We conducted two large-scale qualitative studies in two UK universities in which participants read vignettes describing sexual encounters that were consensual or not, wanted or unwanted and pleasurable or not pleasurable. Participants provided free-text responses as to whether they perceived the scenarios to be rape or not and why they made these judgments. The second study replicated the results of the first and included a condition where participants imagined themselves as either the subject or initiator of the sexual encounter. The results indicate that a significant portion of our participants held attitudes reflecting rape myths and tended to blame the victim. Participants used distancing language when imagining themselves in the initiator condition. Participants indicated that they felt there were degrees of how much a scenario reflected rape rather than it simply being a dichotomy (rape or not). Such results indicate a lack of understanding of consent and rape and highlight avenues of potential educational materials for schools, universities or jurors.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/34285/

Source: Europe PubMed Central

Understanding How University Students Use Perceptions of Consent, Wantedness, and Pleasure in Labeling Rape.

Authors: Hills, P.J., Pleva, M., Seib, E. and Cole, T.

Journal: Archives of Sexual Behavior

Volume: 50

Pages: 247-262

ISSN: 0004-0002

Abstract:

While the lack of consent is the only determining factor in considering whether a situation is rape or not, there is sufficient evidence that participants conflate wantedness with consent and pleasurableness with wantedness. Understanding how people appraise sexual scenarios may form the basis to develop appropriate educational packages. We conducted two large-scale qualitative studies in two UK universities in which participants read vignettes describing sexual encounters that were consensual or not, wanted or unwanted and pleasurable or not pleasurable. Participants provided free-text responses as to whether they perceived the scenarios to be rape or not and why they made these judgments. The second study replicated the results of the first and included a condition where participants imagined themselves as either the subject or initiator of the sexual encounter. The results indicate that a significant portion of our participants held attitudes reflecting rape myths and tended to blame the victim. Participants used distancing language when imagining themselves in the initiator condition. Participants indicated that they felt there were degrees of how much a scenario reflected rape rather than it simply being a dichotomy (rape or not). Such results indicate a lack of understanding of consent and rape and highlight avenues of potential educational materials for schools, universities or jurors.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/34285/

Source: BURO EPrints