EXAMPLE 2 The effects of a sexual assault resistance program

Young women attending universities may be at risk of being sexually assaulted, primarily by male acquaintances. In an attempt to develop an effective strategy to reduce this risk, three universities in Canada investigated the effectiveness of a sexual assault resistance program. The program consists of four 3-hour units in which information is provided and skills are taught and practiced, with the goal of being able to assess risk from acquaintances, overcome emotional barriers in acknowledging danger, and engage in effective verbal and physical self-defense.

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First-year female students were randomly assigned to the program or to a session providing access to brochures on sexual assault (as was common university practice). The result was that the sexual assault resistance program significantly reduced rapes as reported during one year of follow-up.

The Canadian study is an experiment in which the subjects are the 893 first-year female students. The experiment compares two treatments. The explanatory variable is the treatment a student received. Several response variables were measured. The primary one was rape as reported by participants after a one-year follow-up period.