An Experimental Comparison of Three Phrases Used to Convey Lack of Consent: How Does Language Affect Men’s Self-Reports of Sexual Aggression Against Women?

Abstract

Objective: This experiment expands the findings from Abbey et al. (2021) by randomly assigning participants to one of three versions of a sexual aggression measure that differed only in the language used to convey the lack of consent: (a) “make her,” (b) “without her consent,” or (c) “when she didn’t want to.” Method: Men between the ages of 18 and 35 (N = 1,291) were recruited via a Qualtrics Panel for a study of their dating and sexual experiences with women. They completed demographics, validity indicators, and one randomly assigned version of the sexual aggression measure. Results: Self-reported rates of sexual aggression were high across conditions. Participants who responded to questions that used “make her” language reported significantly higher rates of verbally coerced penetrative sex than did participants who responded to questions about sex “without her consent” or “when she didn’t want to.” By contrast, selfreported rates of completed rape (i.e., physical force or incapacitation tactics), attempted rape, and nonpenetrative sexual contact did not significantly differ based on the language used to convey the lack of consent. The magnitude of the correlations between the total number of sexually aggressive acts and convergent and discriminant validity measures was comparable regardless of the phrasing used to convey the lack of consent. Conclusions: Tacit societal approval of the use of verbal pressure to obtain sex makes it difficult for people to recognize their own use of these tactics. Societal-level solutions are required to create a climate in which freely given consent is the norm.