The Effect of Alcohol on Womenâ•Žs Detection of Risk in a Date Rape Analogue
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 8-2003 The Effect of Alcohol on Women’s Detection of Risk in a Date Rape Analogue Marci Marroquin Loiselle Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, and the Gender and Sexuality Commons Recommended Citation Loiselle, Marci Marroquin, "The Effect of Alcohol on Women’s Detection of Risk in a Date Rape Analogue" (2003). Dissertations. 1250. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1250 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON WOMEN’S DETECTION OF RISK IN A DATE RAPE ANALOGUE by Marci Marroquin Loiselle A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Psychology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 2003 THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL ON WOMEN’S DETECTION OF RISK IN A DATE RAPE ANALOGUE Marci Marroquin Loiselle, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 2003 Research strongly suggests that alcohol is a risk factor for date rape for both victims and perpetrators (Abbey, 1991, Fritner & Rubinson, 1994; Miller & Marshall, 1987; Muehlenhard & Linton, 1987; Norris & Cubbins, 1992; Marx, Van Wie, & Gross, 1996). Many victims of sexual assault consume alcohol prior to being raped (Marx, et. al, 1999), and “early recognition of when a social situation with a male acquaintance or intimate partner has become threatening can aid a woman in preventing a serious incident of sexual aggression” (Norris, et al, 1999, p. 230). This study’s purpose was to experimentally address the link between alcohol consumption and women’s risk detection abilities in a date rape vignette. It was hypothesized that the consumption of alcohol decreased a woman’s ability to detect increasing levels of risk in a date rape vignette as compared to the no-alcohol condition. Supplementary hypotheses predicted that alcohol consumption significantly impaired women’s ratings of social pressure, social consequences, comfort level, proposed strategy, male aggressiveness, and female assertiveness as compared to the no-alcohol group. Results demonstrated that alcohol consumption to a .04% BAC significantly increased subject’s decision latency scores. Alcohol also impaired ratings of comfort level, interpersonal risk, proposed strategy, and social pressure. No differences were detected between groups on ratings of male aggressiveness and female assertiveness. These results indicated that alcohol significantly impaired women’s risk detection and judgment as measured by a date rape vignette. Implications for these results and suggestions for future research are discussed. UMI Number: 3133548 ________________________________________________________ UMI Microform 3133548 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ____________________________________________________________ ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road PO Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank members of my dissertation committee, Richard Spates, Ph.D., Amy Naugle, Ph.D., and Elaine Phillips, Ph.D. I would also like to thank my mentor and advisor, R. Wayne Fuqua, Ph.D., for his guidance and support over the years. Lastly, I would like to thank my husband, David Loiselle, whose patience, love, and encouragement has been invaluable in my personal and professional development. Marci Marroquin Loiselle, Ph.D. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................. vi LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................1 Overview ....................................................................................................1 Physiological Effects of Alcohol ........................................................3 Alcohol and Sexuality.........................................................................4 Alcohol and Sexual Assault................................................................6 II. THE PRESENT STUDY .................................................................................11 Hypotheses ...............................................................................................12 Hypothesis I ......................................................................................12 Hypothesis II.....................................................................................13 Hypothesis III ...................................................................................13 III. METHODS ......................................................................................................14 Subjects ....................................................................................................14 Location....................................................................................................14 Apparatus/Materials .................................................................................15 Measures...................................................................................................16 Personal Data Survey........................................................................16 Sexual Assertiveness Scale...............................................................17 Rape Myth Acceptance Scale ...........................................................17 iii Table of Contents—continued Sexual Communication Survey.........................................................18 Dependent Variables ................................................................................18 Response Latency .............................................................................18 Intoxication Level Assessment .........................................................19 Vignette Rating Questionnaire..........................................................19 Independent Variable ...............................................................................19 Alcohol..............................................................................................19 General Procedure ....................................................................................20 IV. RESULTS ........................................................................................................24 Alcohol Use and Sexual History ..............................................................24 Sexual Victimization History ...................................................................24 Intoxication Level Assessment.................................................................25 Alcohol’s Effect on Decision Latency .....................................................27 Alcohol’s Effect on Vignette Ratings, Quantitative Data ........................28 Ratings on Interpersonal Risk...........................................................28 Ratings on Female Assertiveness .....................................................29 Ratings on Social Pressure................................................................30 Ratings on Male Aggressiveness ......................................................31 Alcohol’s Effect on Vignette Ratings, Qualitative Data ..........................32 Ratings on Social Consequences for the Male..................................32 Ratings on Social Consequences for the Female ..............................33 Ratings on Strategy...........................................................................34 iv Table of Contents—continued Ratings on Comfort Level.................................................................36 Correlations between Alcohol and Self-Report Variables .......................38 V. DISCUSSION..................................................................................................39 V. REFERENCES ................................................................................................47 APPENDICES A. Correspondence between Decision Latency and Coercive Sexual Behavior on the Audiotaped Vignette .............................................................62 B. Table 8: Descriptive Statistics for Subjects ....................................................64 C. Table 9: Intercorrelations among Self-Report Measures................................66 D. Table 10: Subject Decision Latency by Group...............................................68 E. Table 11: Qualitative VRQ Data for Female’s Social Consequences ............70 F. Table 12: Qualitative VRQ Data for Male’s Social Consequences................72 G. Table 13: Qualitative VRQ Data Regarding Strategy ....................................74 H. Table 14: Qualitative VRQ Data Regarding Comfort Level ..........................76 I. Screening Questionnaire..................................................................................79