Eighty-one educators and 104 undergraduates read a brief vignette in which a child alleged that she had been sexually abused and the accused denied the allegation. The hypothesis that predicted a main effect for occupational status was strongly supported. The professionals rated credibility lower than the students. The hypothesis that predicted a main effect for the gender of the perpetrators was also supported; male perpetrators were believed less than female perpetrators. The interaction between the gender of the subject and the gender of the perpetrator was found to be statistically significant, but in the opposite direction of what was predicted. The female subjects were expected to rate credibility lower than male subjects for female perpetrators, assuming a gender sympathy effect. This effect was not found, as females rated the child's credibility higher than males when the perpetrator was female. Also, male subjects were expected to rate child credibility lower than female subjects for male perpetrators, again assuming the gender sympathy effect. Instead, it was found that male subjects rated child credibility higher than female subjects when the perpetrator was a male. No relationship was found for the effect of knowing a victim of abuse or knowing someone who was accused of sexual abuse. 1 table and 17 references