Exposure to weapon pictures and subsequent aggression during adolescence

• We examined how viewing weapon pictures affects aggression.
• Children viewing weapon pictures exhibit high levels of aggression.
• Boys, but not girls, display high levels of aggression.
• Children with HA, but not MA and LA, demonstrate high levels of aggression.

This study tested the effect of weapon picture viewing on aggression among children by employing Semantic Categorization task. A total sample of 288 fourth- and fifth-graders from 4 elementary schools participated in this study. Results showed that children who viewed weapon pictures exhibited high levels of aggression, whereas children who viewed non-weapon pictures displayed low levels of aggression. Specifically, boys, but not girls, manifested significant high levels of aggression after viewing weapon pictures. Additionally, viewers with high-aggressiveness (HA), but not with moderate-aggressiveness (MA) and low-aggressiveness (LA), yielded high levels of aggression after viewing weapon pictures. These findings indicated that weapon pictures (situational variables), gender and aggressive trait (individual variables) were responsible for changing levels of subsequent aggression among children. Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.