Author: University of Birmingham
Author Contact: birmingham.ac.uk
Published: 1st Feb 2023 - Updated: 3rd Feb 2023
Peer-Reviewed Publication: Yes
Additional References: Discrimination and Abuse Publications
Summary: Women can recall details of sexual assault and rape with accuracy, even if they have drunk, or expected to drink, moderate amounts of alcohol.
Acute Alcohol Intoxication and Alcohol Expectancy Effects on Women's Memory for Consensual and Non-Consensual Sexual Activity - Frontiers in Psychology.
Women can recall details of sexual assault and rape with accuracy, even if they have drunk - or expected to drink - moderate amounts of alcohol.
A study conducted at the University of Birmingham demonstrated that women who had drunk alcohol up to the legal limit for driving were able to recall details of an assault in a hypothetical scenario, including details of activities to which they had, and had not, consented.
Even women who expected to drink alcohol but were, in fact, given only tonic water to drink showed an increased awareness of their surroundings and interactions.
The findings, published in Frontiers in Psychology - Forensic and Legal Psychology, are an important step towards challenging courtroom perceptions of women being unreliable as witnesses in cases where they were intoxicated at the time an assault took place.
Professor Heather Flowe, in the University's School of Psychology, led the research.
"We know that sexual assault frequently coincides with alcohol intoxication," she said. "This means that, during trials, victims' and witnesses accounts will often be contested, which is one of the reasons why so few cases lead to conviction for defendants and this needs to change."
In the study, researchers worked with 90 women and asked them to take part in a hypothetical rape scenario under one of four conditions. Roughly half the group were given an alcoholic drink, while the other half were given tonic water. However, within each group, some of the women were told they would be drinking alcohol, but were in fact given tonic water, and some were told their drink was tonic water, whereas it actually contained vodka.
The women then worked through a written (on screen) and audio presented account of an encounter between themselves and a man and asked to imagine how they would actually think and feel if the incident happened to them. As the scenario unfolded, the women were asked to make decisions about whether or not to continue with the encounter. If they made a decision to end the encounter, they were presented with a screen detailing a hypothetical rape taking place at the end of the evening.
Seven days following the experiment, the women were asked to complete a questionnaire asking them to answer questions about the events of the evening.
The researchers found that women who consumed alcohol during the experiment were just as accurate in remembering consensual and non-consensual sexual activities. In particular, the researchers found no evidence to support the idea that if a woman participated in consensual sex while intoxicated, she might later remember it as non-consensual.
The study also showed that the participants who expected to consume alcohol - whether they did so or not - were more accurate, overall, in remembering specific details about the rape. This suggests that women are likely to become 'hypervigilant' in situations where they believe themselves to be under the influence of alcohol and so more vulnerable.
Co-author on the paper, Laura Stevens, added:
"This research challenges a key myth about victim's memories regarding rape and sexual assault, which is often used to dismiss the victim's account. We hope this work will lead to changes in the way courts and expert witnesses manage testimony from alleged victims of rape and sexual assault."
The team plans to continue their research, testing recall at different levels of intoxication and also improving the realism of the scenario presented.
Moderate Intoxication Does Not Impair Sexual Assault Recall | University of Birmingham (birmingham.ac.uk). SexualDiversity.org makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. Content may have been edited for style, clarity or length.
Post to Twitter Add to Facebook
Latest Discrimination and Abuse Publications | |
---|---|
The above information is from our reference library of resources relating to Discrimination and Abuse that includes: | |
Language in Sexual Offense Judgments Makes Victims Responsible Judgments are supposed to reflect objectivity of the courts, but when we use language we inevitably express some kind of idea or conception of the world. Publish Date: 19th Sep 2024 | |
Lack of Sexually Injuries Does Not Mean Rape Victim Is Making It Up A new study reveals the absence of sexually related injuries cannot be used in court to infer that rape victims are making it up. Publish Date: 8th Oct 2023 | |
Why Sexually Harassed People Might Not Come Forward Immediately or at All What would a reasonable person do? Exploring the gap between experienced and anticipated responses to sexual harassment. Publish Date: 10th Jun 2023 | |
Some LGBT Allies Don't Want Gay Neighbors Study explores stigmatizing behaviors expressed by avid supporters of sexual minorities in a survey 8.5% who said they were fully accepting of gay people did not want gay neighbors. Publish Date: 6th Mar 2023 |
1Transgender Reporting Guide
How to write about transgender people.
2Am I Gay? Questions to Ask
Think you may be gay or bisexual?
3Glossary of Sexuality Terms
Definitions of sexual terms & acronyms.
4LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
Symbols of Identity and Inclusion.
5LGBT Awareness Dates
Important LGBTQ community awareness days, remembrance dates, and coming pride events.
• Submissions: Send us your coming events and LGBTQ related news stories.
• Report Errors: Please report outdated or inaccurate information to us.
• (APA): University of Birmingham. (2023, February 1). Moderate Intoxication Does Not Impair Sexual Assault Recall. SexualDiversity.org. Retrieved November 8, 2024 from www.sexualdiversity.org/discrimination/1139.php
• Permalink: <a href="https://www.sexualdiversity.org/discrimination/1139.php">Moderate Intoxication Does Not Impair Sexual Assault Recall</a>