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Bushman Discusses Research on Weapons and Aggression

March 24, 2019

Bushman Discusses Research on Weapons and Aggression

Dr. Brad J. Bushman

Professor Brad Bushman wrote an article for Science Trends about the “weapons effect” – the idea that seeing weapons can prime aggressive thoughts. Bushman’s article was based off his 2018 meta-analysis of findings from weapons effect studies from 1967 to 2017.  According to Bushman, the presence of weapons increases aggressive thoughts, hostile appraisals and aggression, which suggests a cognitive route from weapons to aggression, according to the General Aggression Model.