Candidate: Marci Marroquin-Loiselle

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychology

Title: The Effect of Alcohol on Women's Detection of Risk in a Date Rape Vignette

Committee:
Dr. R. Wayne Fuqua, Chair
Dr. C. Richard Spates
Dr. Amy Naugle
Dr. Elaine Phillips

Date: Friday, April 11, 2003, 1:00p.m.-3:00p.m.
2734 Wood Hall

Abstract: 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 decreased women's ratings of social pressure, social consequences, comfort level, proposed strategy, male aggressiveness, and female assertiveness as compared to the no-alcohol group. Result demonstrated that alcohol consumption significantly decrease subject's decision latency scores, ratings of comfort level, ratings of interpersonal risk, ratings of proposed strategy, male aggressiveness, and female assertiveness as compared to the no-alcohol group. Results demonstrated that alcohol consumption significantly decreased subject's decision latency scores, ratings of comfort level, ratings of interpersonal risk, ratings of proposed strategy, and ratings of social pressure. No differences were detected between groups on ratings of male aggressiveness and female assertiveness. Implications for these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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