Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 16, 2025

Post-Movie Subliminal Measurement PMSM, for Investigating Implicit Social Bias
Published on: February 29, 2020
The Influence of Moral Intuitions on Americans' Divergent Reactions to Reports of Sexual Assault and Harassment
1Department of Sociology and Criminology, 311285Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Abstract:
Drawing on insights from moral psychology, we examine the influence of moral intuitions on Americans' divergent reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment. We hypothesize that Americans whose moral intuitions emphasize care and protection of the vulnerable will show a greater willingness to believe reports of sexual assault and harassment, while those whose moral intuitions emphasize social order and cohesion will show greater skepticism toward such reports. Using data from a nationally representative sample of USA adults (N =1050), we find strong support for both hypotheses. We also find that the influence of moral intuitions on reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment is partially mediated by respondents' willingness to attribute responsibility to victims of sex crimes. Our results hold when females and males are examined separately. The study provides compelling evidence that a moral intuitionist approach is useful for understanding Americans' divergent reactions to reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Influencing Attraction II: Physical Attraction
Surveys
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Bystander Effect
Milgram's Obedience to Authority
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

