Using Virtual Reality to Assess the Efficacy of a Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Increase Bystander Behaviors

This study will provide a comprehensive examination of Motivate-The-Bystander and provide information about whom the intervention is most effective for. Specifically, at T1, participants will be randomly assigned to the MTB condition, a motivational interviewing intervention designed to increase participants' bystander intervention behaviors, or an assessment only control condition. All participants will complete a battery of self-report measures, including our three proposed moderators (gender, alcohol use, and rape myth acceptance). Participants assigned to the MTB condition will also engage in a motivational interviewing intervention designed to build each participant's unique motivation for engaging in bystander intervention behaviors. Approximately two months later, at T2, participants will complete a battery of self-report measures assessing their bystander behaviors and attitudes over the past two months. Then, all participants will complete the B-SAVE, where they provide open ended verbal responses to a series of sexually risky and non-risky interactive scenes they witness in the virtual environment.