Fawcitt, Grace2024-05-082024-05-082023https://hdl.handle.net/2440/140722This item is only available electronically.Social conformity and rape stereotypes have been studied independently of one another in relation to victim blame in rape trials, but the interaction between the two has remained unexplored. Furthermore, there is limited literature on the impact of online conforming behaviour on victim blame. The current study investigated whether rape ambiguity and online conformity interacted to impact victim blame, and whether social conformity was associated with blame assignment and rape myth acceptance. Participants (N = 156) read two vignettes, formatted as Facebook posts with attached comments that detailed rape cases. The comment format was the between-subjects variable (no comments, victim blaming comments, perpetrator blaming comments), while rape scenario ambiguity was the within-subjects variable (ambiguous, unambiguous). Participants answered questions about victim blame, social conformity, and rape myth acceptance. The findings indicated that victim blame was higher for ambiguous rape scenarios than unambiguous rape scenarios, regardless of comment format. Social conformity scores positively correlated with rape myth acceptance scores. Furthermore, social conformity scores positively correlated with victim blame scores where the case details were more ambiguous and comments supported victim blame. Contrary to predictions, there was no significant correlation between victim blame scores and social conformity scores where the case was ambiguous and comments supported perpetrator blame. The findings suggest conformist individuals may be more inclined to blame victims for ambiguous rape cases when the majority opinion is victim blaming. These findings highlight the importance of acknowledging the potential impact of online conformity on victim blame, where jurors may endorse rape myths. Keywords: rape myths, social conformity, social media, victim blameHonours; PsychologyThesis