| The main purpose of this study was to empirically analyze college students' perceptions of date rape, specifically focusing on the relationship between personal relevance and victim empathy. Drawing from the Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1981, 1986a, 1986b), the personal relevance of a date rape scenario was manipulated and victim empathy was measured using the Rape Empathy Scale (Deitz, S. R., Blackwell, K. T., Daley, P. C., & Bentley, B. J., 1982) and the Acquaintance Rape Empathy Scale (Berg, Lonsway, & Fitzgerald, 1999). Participants in this study included 199 college students from a mid-sized university who read either a personally relevant date rape scenario, a general date rape scenario, or no date rape scenario. Victim empathy was measured five weeks before participants in the experimental groups read the scenario and immediately after they read the scenario. On the ARES, participants who did not read a date rape scenario indicated higher levels of empathy for a rape victim than did participants who read a personally relevant date rape scenario. No differences were found between participants who read a personally relevant date rape scenario and those who read a general scenario. No differences were found between the groups on the RES.;This study also replicated date rape research findings that demonstrated a relationship between gender and victim empathy, between prior victimization and victim empathy and between gender and prior victimization. As predicted, females and participants with prior victimization indicated higher levels of victim empathy than did males and those without prior victimization. In addition, a significant relationship was found between gender and prior victimization, with females being more likely to report prior victimization than men.;Finally, this study addressed methodological limitations that currently exist in date rape research by exploring the use of a relatively new measure of acquaintance rape empathy. This study also provided an original date rape scenario that does not adhere to date rape myths. Furthermore, this study used a qualitative component to explore the relationships between proposed date rape scenario endings and gender, personal relevance, and prior victimization. Implications regarding date rape research and date rape prevention programs are discussed. |
