Presenter(s)

Emma Tucek

Comments

10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

The study examined how perceptions of attractiveness influenced attributions of responsibility in an ambiguous sexual encounter involving a male perpetrator and a female victim that aligns with the University of Dayton’s definition of sexual assault. Participants read a brief vignette, along with photos of the purported characters, and rated the two participants on various characteristics; we manipulated the attractiveness of the female using different photos. Participants then provided their judgments regarding the encounter described in the vignette. Due to differences in causal inference difficulties, we found a difference between the effect of manipulating attractiveness versus rated attractiveness. ANOVAs indicated a change in male and female attractiveness, as well as perceptions of promiscuity, before and after reading the vignette. Ratings of both characters’ attractiveness influenced responsibility judgments, but the pathways differed based on the type of responsibility. As male attractiveness increased, he was viewed more favorably and assigned less responsibility, while she was attributed more responsibility through perceptions of her promiscuity. Female attractiveness did not directly predict her level of responsibility. The findings revealed gendered biases in responsibility attributions, where assumptions about a woman’s character assumptions drove victim-blaming, while a man’s character assumptions were less indicative of his accountability. A mediation analysis suggested that a halo effect may be a mechanism through which attractiveness influences attributions of responsibility, specifically by enhancing ratings of positive traits rather than diminishing ratings of negative characteristics.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Dario Norman Rodriguez

Primary Advisor's Department

Psychology

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship

The Halo Effect and Attributions of Responsibility: How Perceptions of Attractiveness and Promiscuity Influence Victim-Blaming in Ambiguous Sexual Encounters

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