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Abstract

Sexually assaulted individuals report experiencing a broad range of emotions in the aftermath of the event. However, common labels, like ‘victim’ or ‘survivor’, evoke stereotypes that do not capture this broad emotional experience. These stereotypes are consequential in that they dictate how an individual is expected to look/feel following a sexual assault. When emotional stereotypes are violated, individuals are perceived as less credible than those who conform to expectations. Specifically, victims expressing sadness are perceived as more credible than those expressing positive or neutral emotions. More recently, the term ‘survivor’ has been used as an alternative to ‘victim’. ‘Survivor’ has been associated with its own set of stereotypes; whereas victims are perceived as weak, survivors are expected to be strong and confident. However, less is known about the emotional stereotype content of the ‘survivor’ label and whether conforming to emotional stereotypes affects perceived credibility. The present study aimed to identify emotional expectations associated with sexual assault labels (Study 1) and whether emotions incongruent with label expectations impact perceived credibility (Study 2). In Study 1, a reverse correlation technique was implemented to provide visual estimates of mental representations of victim/survivors/persons who have experienced sexual assault. These images were rated on nine emotions to determine emotion-label pairs. Findings indicated that ‘victim’ faces were perceived as sadder than ‘survivors’ and ‘survivors’ were perceived as angrier than ‘victims.’ Faces of ‘persons who experienced sexual assault’ were found to be rated higher in anger compared to victims. In Study 2, participants viewed vignettes detailing a sexual assault encounter where the discloser was described as a survivor, victim, or person, expressing either sadness or anger, and provided credibility ratings. Study 2 results did not support the hypothesis that emotion-label congruent conditions would have greater credibility ratings compared to emotion-label incongruent conditions. These findings provide clarity to a growing body of research examining the role of stereotypes in judgements about sexual violence. Specifically, labels elicit instinct emotional stereotypes; however, they do not appear to interact with expressions of sadness or anger to affect perceived credibility.