Momentary versus Retrospective Sexual Consent Perceptions

Bibliographic Data

ID21292410
AuthorsMalachi Willis (0000-0002-3173-3990, University of Glasgow, corresponding author), Kristen N Jozkowski (0000-0003-3894-5395, Indiana University Bloomington)
Year2022
Volume51
Issue2
Pages811-819
Publication date2022-02-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchives of Sexual Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-0002 • E-ISSN: 1573-2800
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10508-021-02182-7
PMID34853977
OpenAlexW3214842837
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited21

Perceiving potential indicators of a person’s willingness is an integral component of sexual consent. Preliminary qualitative evidence using vignettes suggested that consent perceptions can change over the course of a sexual scenario. In the present study, we extended previous research by directly comparing momentary and retrospective sexual consent perceptions using a quantitative study design. Employing a staggered vignette protocol, we examined participants’ ( n = 962; 72.0% female) momentary perceptions of fictional characters’ sexual consent and compared them with participants’ retrospective perceptions of the characters’ consent. We hypothesized that participants would demonstrate a hindsight bias in that they would retrospectively indicate they thought the fictional characters were first willing to engage in sexual behavior earlier than when they did momentarily. We found that differences in participants’ momentary versus retrospective perceptions of characters’ sexual consent varied by the type of behavior. As we expected, participants demonstrated a hindsight bias for making out. Contrary to our hypothesis, participants were hesitant to retrospectively report that the characters were willing to engage in the other sexual behaviors (e.g., oral, vaginal, anal sex) at a point earlier than their momentary perceptions. That momentary and retrospective sexual consent perceptions significantly differ corroborates previous recommendations that sexual consent be conceptualized as an ongoing process

Alternative medicine · Developmental psychology · Hindsight bias · Informed consent · Perception · Retrospective cohort study · Vignette · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychology · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology · Surgery

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