The effects of a target character's gender, alcohol consumption, and victim/aggressor status on attributions of responsibility for a violent outcome

Robert Karl Skacel, Purdue University

Abstract

The present study employed written vignettes describing an altercation between two customers in a convenience store in an attempt to assess observers' attributions of responsibility and relative responsibility for a violent outcome. Emphasis was placed on providing a direct means of evaluating the effects of gender, alcohol consumption, and victim-aggressor status in a clearly defined context in which a character of either gender could serve as a credible victim as well as aggressor. One-hundred-and-one male and 68 female undergraduates each read one of eight vignettes in which the main character was described as either female or male, intoxicated or sober, and acted as either victim or aggressor toward a gender- and beverage-unspecified secondary character. Subjects subsequently assigned responsibility to each character and to the situation itself. As predicted, aggressive characters were invariably attributed higher levels of responsibility than were victims. No direct support was found, however, for the hypothesis that intoxicated aggressors would be attributed less responsibility than sober aggressors. In some instances, the opposite was true. Partial support was found for the prediction that intoxicated victims would be attributed more responsibility for their misfortune than their sober counterparts. Consumption of alcohol generally served to increase the amount of responsibility attributed to the drinker, but this effect was more pronounced for female characters than for male characters. The effects of subject gender were explored and were found to have minimal influence on responsibility attributions. Results were discussed in context of alcohol expectancies as well as attributional biases. Discussion focused upon the role of situational factors in evaluating alcohol-related violence, recommendations for future studies, and the implications of the findings for the legal system, clinicians, and prevention efforts.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Merritt, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Psychotherapy|Social psychology|Criminology

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