Thirty-five male and 37 female members of the Brighton (England) general public participated in the first study voluntarily. Subjects were approached at public places such as railway stations and shopping centers and asked to complete a questionnaire that contained the 19-item Rape Myth Acceptance Scale by Burt (1980) and a vignette based on an actual rape case. Respondents were asked whether the victim had any responsibility for the rape. In the second study, a new sample of 36 males and 37 females voluntarily participated in a survey that asked respondents to attribute responsibility to victim and assailant on the basis of 1 of 2 rape accounts in which victim's prerape behavior was manipulated. Results indicate that both rape myth acceptance and victims' prerape behavior influenced the degree of responsibility respondents attributed to victims and assailants. No significant effects of subject gender were found. A more complex conceptualization of the link between observer and victim characteristics is suggested in social reactions to and evaluations of rape victims. 4 tables, 21 references. (Author abstract modified)