Development and validation of the Rape Excusing Attitudes and Language Scale

• Published in: Personality and individual differences 2022-02, Vol.186, p.111359, Article 111359
• Main Authors: Hahnel-Peeters, Rebecka K., Goetz, Aaron T.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceptance; Attitudes; Confirmatory factor analysis; Empathy; Evolutionary perspective; False belief; Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale; Mythology; Perpetrators; Police reports; Psychology; Rape; Rape Excusing Attitudes and Language Scale; Rape myth acceptance; Rape myths; Sexual violence; Stereotypes; Victims
• ISSN: 0191-8869; 1873-3549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111359

Rape myth acceptance (RMA) is the acceptance of false beliefs, stereotypes, and statements about rape, victims, and perpetrators (Burt, 1980). Rape myths become outdated as we learn more about sexual violence. Therefore, psychometric scales should be updated periodically to reflect the more nuanced phenomenon of rape myth acceptance. Several items in the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (IRMA; Payne et al., 1999; McMahon & Farmer, 2011) may measure knowledge about the rape perpetrator's psychology rather than rape myth acceptance. In current studies we developed and validated an updated rape myth acceptance scale called the Rape Excusing Attitudes and Language (REAL) Scale without items measuring knowledge about rape. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on two separate datasets (N = 663), the REAL Scale presents a four factor, 20-item scale. We provide evidence of validation through demonstrating the Scale's convergent and discriminative validity by correlating the REAL Scale with the IRMA and the Rape Victim Empathy Scale (RVES; Smith & Frieze, 2003). We argue that the REAL Scale should be adopted in future studies assessing rape myth acceptance because the items explain the same amount of variance in the RVES as the IRMA, but the REAL Scale displays more face validity. •RMA scales often contain empirically supported statements.•We developed and validated an updated RMA scale across two studies (N = 665).•Our REAL Scale predicted the same amount of variance in the RVES as revised IRMA.•Our REAL Scale contained no empirically supported items – unlike other RMA scales.