A. James Benjamin, Jr.
- Media Contact
I am a social 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 (in particular, media violence and weapon images), as well as individual differences in aggressive cognition and behavior. Some of my work suggests a more skeptical approach to these phenomena, and is consistent with other skeptical accounts. More recently, I have become interested in examining the role of both short-term and long-term exposure to mass media on the cultivation of social attitudes toward violence (such as the practice of torture), in order to determine if data are consistent or inconsistent with current theoretical models. I have secondary interest in research on authoritarianism. Much of my research intersects with other disciplines such as Media Communication.
Primary Interests:
- Aggression, Conflict, Peace
- Applied Social Psychology
- Communication, Language
- Interpersonal Processes
- Personality, Individual Differences
- Political Psychology
- Research Methods, Assessment
- Social Cognition
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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. (2019). The weapons effect. National Social Science Journal, 52 (1), 1-6.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2016). Right-wing authoritarianism and attitudes toward torture. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 44, 881-888.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2015). Measuring right-wing authoritarianism and ideology. National Social Science Journal, 44(1), 5-7.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2014). Chasing the elusive left-wing authoritarian: An examination of Altemeyer’s Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Left-Wing Authoritarianism scales. National Social Science Journal, 43(1), 7-13.
- 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). 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., & Bushman, B. J. (2016). The weapons priming effect. Current Opinion in Psychology, 12, 45-48.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr., & Crosby, M. (2019). A case of unintended cognitive consequences: Guns prohibited images prime aggressive thoughts. Mental Health and Social Behavior, 1, 103.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr., Kepes, S., & Bushman, B. J. (2018). Effects of the mere presence 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, 22, 347-377.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr., & Oelke, S. E. (2016). Framing effects on attitudes toward torture. Kommunikáció, Média, Gazdaság, 13 (1), 229-241.
- 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.
- Benjamin, A. J. (2024). Authoritarianism. In S. T. Allison, J. K. Beggan, and G. R. Goethals (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies (pp. 87-89). Springer.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2023). Aggression. In H. S. Friedman & C. H. Markey (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Mental Health (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 44-51). Elsevier, Academic Press.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2021). Weapons effect. In J. Van den Bulck (Editor-in-Chief), International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 1965-1968). Wiley.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2020). Assessing implicit motives. In B. J. Carducci & C. S. Nave (Editors-in-Chief & Vol Ed.), The Wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (Vol. II., pp. 363-366). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2020). Type A/B personalities. In B. J. Carducci & C. S. Nave (Editors-in-Chief) & J. S. Mio & R. E. Riggio (Vol. Eds.), Wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences (Vol. IV, pp. 383-386). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
- Benjamin, A. J., Jr. (2016). Aggression. In H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mental Health (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 33-39). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.
Courses Taught:
- Capstone
- Conditioning and Learning
- Experimental Psychology
- General Psychology
- Human Aggression
- Introduction to Behavioral Statistics
- Research Methods in Psychology
- Social Psychology
A. James Benjamin, Jr.
Department of Psychology
University of Arkansas--Fort Smith
5210 Grand Avenue, P.O. Box 3649
Fort Smith, Arkansas 72913-3649
United States of America
- Work: (479) 788-7573
- Mobile: (714) 944-2948
- Fax: (479) 424-6573