I am a social-personality psychologist whose primary research interest is in the study of human aggression. My work concentrates on the cognitive and behavioral effects of aggression-related cues (e.g., violent media, weapon images), as well as individual differences in aggressive cognition and behavior, and the application of meta-analytic techniques to the study of aggression. More recently, I have become interested in applying social psychological theories of aggression to the study of such phenomena as torture and genocide. I have secondary interest in political psychology, with a particular focus on right-wing authoritarianism.

I am available for speaking engagements (my areas of expertise and interest include media violence, the weapons effect, application of contemporary theories of aggression to understanding and preventing torture and genocide, and various facets of pop culture). If you wish to book me as a speaker, please contact me via email or phone (see contact information above).

If you would like a copy of any of my publications, feel free to contact me. I will gladly send you a reprint via email or snail mail.

Primary Interests:

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Applied Social Psychology
Interpersonal Processes
Personality, Individual Differences
Political Psychology
Social Cognition

Aggression, Conflict, Peace
Applied Social Psychology
Interpersonal Processes

Personality, Individual Differences
Political Psychology
Social Cognition

Journal Articles:

Anderson, C. A., & Benjamin, A. J., Jr., & Bartholow, B. D. (1998). Does the gun pull the trigger? Automatic priming effects of weapon pictures and weapon names. Psychological Science, 9, 308-314.
Anderson, C. A., Benjamin, A. J., Jr., Wood, P. K., & Bonacci, A. M. (2006). Development and testing of the Velicer attitudes toward violence scale: Evidence for a four-factor model. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 122-136.
Bartholow, B. D., Anderson, C. A., Carnagey, N. L., & Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2005). Interactive effects of life experience and situational cues on aggression: The weapons priming effect in hunters and nonhunters. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 48-60.
Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2008). The general aggression model as a framework for understanding torture and genocide. National Social Science Journal, 31(1), 1-8.
Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2006). Human aggression and violence: Understanding torture from a psychological perspective. National Social Science Journal, 26(2), 12-19.
Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2006). The relationship between right-wing authoritarianism and attitudes toward violence: Further validation of the Attitudes Toward Violence Scale. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 34, 923-926.
Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (1999). The influence of locus of control and aggressiveness of rock music videos on aggression: A reanalysis and methodological critique of Wann and Wilson (1996). Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 14, 491-498.
Benjamin, A. J., Jr., Riggio, R. E., & Mayes, B. T. (1996). Reliability and factor structure of Budner’s tolerance for ambiguity scale. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 11, 625-632.
Bettencourt, B. A., Talley, A., Benjamin, A. J., Jr., & Valentine, J. (2006). Personality and aggressive behavior under provoking and neutral conditions: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 751-777.

Other Publications:

Anderson, C. A., Flanagan, M., Carnagey, N. L., Benjamin, A. J., Jr., Eubanks, J., & Valentine, J. C. (2004). Violent video games: Specific effects of violent content on aggressive thoughts and behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 36, 199-249.

Courses Taught:

Conditioning and Learning
Experimental Psychology
General Psychology
History and Systems of Psychology
Human Aggression
Research Methods in Psychology
Social Psychology
Statistics
Theories of Personality

Conditioning and Learning
Experimental Psychology
General Psychology
History and Systems of Psychology
Human Aggression

Research Methods in Psychology
Social Psychology
Statistics
Theories of Personality

James Benjamin
Department of Behavioral Sciences
University of Arkansas--Fort Smith
5210 Grand Avenue, P.O. Box 3649
Fort Smith, AR 72913-3649
United States

Phone: (479) 788-7573
Fax: (479) 424-6573