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Benjamin AJ, Kepes S, Bushman BJ. Effects of Weapons on Aggressive Thoughts, Angry Feelings, Hostile Appraisals, and Aggressive Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Weapons Effect Literature. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2017; 22:347-377. [DOI: 10.1177/1088868317725419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A landmark 1967 study showed that simply seeing a gun can increase aggression—called the “weapons effect.” Since 1967, many other studies have attempted to replicate and explain the weapons effect. This meta-analysis integrates the findings of weapons effect studies conducted from 1967 to 2017 and uses the General Aggression Model (GAM) to explain the weapons effect. It includes 151 effect-size estimates from 78 independent studies involving 7,668 participants. As predicted by the GAM, our naïve meta-analytic results indicate that the mere presence of weapons increased aggressive thoughts, hostile appraisals, and aggression, suggesting a cognitive route from weapons to aggression. Weapons did not significantly increase angry feelings. Yet, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis indicated that not all naïve mean estimates were robust to the presence of publication bias. In general, these results suggest that the published literature tends to overestimate the weapons effect for some outcomes and moderators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sven Kepes
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
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Dienstbier RA, Roesch SC, Mizumoto A, Hemenover SH, Lott RC, Carlo G. Effects of Weapons on Guilt Judgments and Sentencing Recommendations for Criminals. BASIC AND APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1207/s15324834basp2002_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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Knight GP, Guthrie IK, Page MC, Fabes RA. Emotional arousal and gender differences in aggression: A meta-analysis. Aggress Behav 2002. [DOI: 10.1002/ab.80011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Wilcox P. Self-Help? Examining the Anti-Crime Effectiveness of Citizen Weapon Possession. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2002. [DOI: 10.1080/00380237.2002.10570695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Bettencourt BA, Kernahan C. A meta-analysis of aggression in the presence of violent cues: Effects of gender differences and aversive provocation. Aggress Behav 1997. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-2337(1997)23:6<447::aid-ab4>3.0.co;2-d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Caprara GV, Renzi P, Amolini P, D'Imperio G, Travaglia G. The eliciting cue value of aggressive slides reconsidered in a personological perspective: The weapons effect and irritability. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1984. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2420140306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Jacques-Philippe-Leyens, Parke RD. Aggressive slides can induce a weapons effect. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 1975. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2420050207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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