The proposed research examines the role of men's misperception of women's sexual intentions and alcohol consumption in sexual assault perpetration. Based On Abbey's research on alcohol's role in misperception Of sexual intent (Abbey et al., 1996b) and theories about alcohol's effects On cognitive processing (Steele & Josephs, 1990; Taylor & Chermack, 1993), Two complementary studies are proposed. Study 1 is a 3 (Past Perpetration of Sexual Assault: None, Verbal Coercion Only, Physically Forced Sex) X 3 (Alcohol Consumption: Intoxicated, Placebo, Sober) design in which men will interact with a trained female confederate in the laboratory. It is hypothesized that a) perpetrators will perceive the woman as behaving more sexually than will non-perpetrators, b) men who are drinking alcohol or who think they are drinking alcohol will perceive the woman more sexually than men who are not, c) intoxicated men will not recall non-permissive cues used by the confederate, and d) trained coders will find that perpetrators and intoxicated men use different cues and interpret the woman's cues differently than other men do. In Study 2, participants read a vignette about an acquaintance rape. A 2 (Gender of Participant) X 3 (Alcohol Condition of Participant: Intoxicated, Placebo, Sober) X 3 (Level of Non-permissive Cues in Vignette: Low, Medium, High) X 2 (Woman in Vignette Drinks Alcohol: Yes, No) d&sign is used. It is hypothesized that a) women will be more likely than men to view what occurred as forced sex, b) participants who consume alcohol or who read about a woman who consumed alcohol will be legs likely to perceive what occurred as forced sex, and c) intoxicated men will not recall the non-permissive cues in the vignette. Sexual assault is a serious crime which has implications for victims' physical and mental health. This research is intended to provide concrete information which can be used in prevention and treatment programs for sexual assault perpetrators.
