Intimate partner rape: do rape myths still influence verdict outcomes when the defendant is an ex-partner?

StatusVoR
Simple item page
dc.abstract.enIntroduction: Despite research highlighting the influence of rape attitudes and other juror traits on trial outcomes, few studies have examined such relationships within intimate partner rape trials, prioritising instead decision-making in so-called “date rape” cases. The current study, therefore, sought to investigate the relationship between juror demographic traits, their pre-trial legal attitudes, and rape myth beliefs, upon subsequent verdict decisions made in an intimate partner rape trial. Methods: The study adopted a mock trial paradigm, with methodological enhancements aimed at increasing ecological validity. Mock jurors (N = 435) completed a series of attitudinal and demographic questions online before observing a recreation of a genuine intimate partner rape trial and subsequently rendering their verdict. Results: Results revealed that ethnicity, educational attainment, and rape myth acceptance, though not varied legal attitudes, were all significant predictors of the verdict selections that jurors made. Caucasian, university-educated mock jurors and jurors who rejected rape myths to a greater extent were those most likely to find the defendant guilty. Female jurors were also significantly more likely to return a guilty verdict before, though not after, controlling for variation in rape myth beliefs. Discussion: These findings offer further support to the wealth of existing literature that suggests jurors' pre-trial rape myth beliefs, alongside other demographic characteristics, appear to predispose juror judgements and decision-making, and extend upon past literature in identifying a similar trend within intimate partner rape trials. Findings highlight the need for targeted juror reforms, such as myth-debunking juror education, before such recommendations are made. Before such recommendations are made, further enhancements to mock-trial procedures to maximise ecological validity, alongside greater research among genuine trial jurors, are warranted.
dc.affiliationFaculty of Psychology, Wroclaw
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.contributor.authorLilley, Caroline
dc.contributor.authorMojtahedi, Dara
dc.contributor.authorWillmott, Dominic
dc.date.access2026-04-15
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-20T07:15:16Z
dc.date.available2026-04-20T07:15:16Z
dc.date.created2026-03-06
dc.date.issued2026-04-15
dc.description.abstract<jats:sec> <jats:title>Introduction</jats:title> <jats:p>Despite research highlighting the influence of rape attitudes and other juror traits on trial outcomes, few studies have examined such relationships within intimate partner rape trials, prioritising instead decision-making in so-called “date rape” cases. The current study, therefore, sought to investigate the relationship between juror demographic traits, their pre-trial legal attitudes, and rape myth beliefs, upon subsequent verdict decisions made in an intimate partner rape trial.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p> The study adopted a mock trial paradigm, with methodological enhancements aimed at increasing ecological validity. Mock jurors ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 435) completed a series of attitudinal and demographic questions online before observing a recreation of a genuine intimate partner rape trial and subsequently rendering their verdict. </jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Results</jats:title> <jats:p>Results revealed that ethnicity, educational attainment, and rape myth acceptance, though not varied legal attitudes, were all significant predictors of the verdict selections that jurors made. Caucasian, university-educated mock jurors and jurors who rejected rape myths to a greater extent were those most likely to find the defendant guilty. Female jurors were also significantly more likely to return a guilty verdict before, though not after, controlling for variation in rape myth beliefs.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Discussion</jats:title> <jats:p>These findings offer further support to the wealth of existing literature that suggests jurors' pre-trial rape myth beliefs, alongside other demographic characteristics, appear to predispose juror judgements and decision-making, and extend upon past literature in identifying a similar trend within intimate partner rape trials. Findings highlight the need for targeted juror reforms, such as myth-debunking juror education, before such recommendations are made. Before such recommendations are made, further enhancements to mock-trial procedures to maximise ecological validity, alongside greater research among genuine trial jurors, are warranted.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.physical1-14
dc.description.sdgGoodHealthAndWellBeing
dc.description.sdgQualityEducation
dc.description.sdgGenderEquality
dc.description.sdgPeaceJusticeAndStrongInstitutions
dc.description.sdgReducedInequalities
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume17
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1778367
dc.identifier.issn1664-1078
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2306
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1778367/full
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enintimate partner rape
dc.subject.enjuror attitudes
dc.subject.enjury decision-making
dc.subject.enrape myths
dc.subject.enrape trial
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleIntimate partner rape: do rape myths still influence verdict outcomes when the defendant is an ex-partner?
dc.title.journalFrontiers in Psychology
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle