Rape myth beliefs and prejudiced instructions: effects on decisions of guilt in a case of date rape

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effects of pro and anti rape myth bias in judges' summing up statements on verdicts given by individuals.
Method. A convenience sample of 90 male and 90 female students from a British university completed the Rape myth acceptance (RMA) scale (Burt, 1980). A scenario depicting a date rape was read, ending with guidance that was either pro or anti rape myth, or neutral.
Results. Rape myth supporting guidance was associated with innocent verdicts, and anti rape myth guidance with guilty verdicts, regardless of degree of rape myth acceptance. Level of rape myth acceptance and gender were also found to predict verdict.
Conclusion. Rape myth biased guidance may influence verdicts in a rape scenario in which the attribution of blame to the man and woman depicted could be perceived as being ambiguous.