Aggressive shooting behavior: How working memory and threat influence shoot decisions

Previous research on police officer shoot decisions has focused on the influence of situational factors that lead to shooting error. Focusing instead on the “shooter,” the present study examined whether WM capacity influenced participant shoot decisions in a simulated shooting task with varied threat level. Participants were 282 undergraduate students who completed a measure of operation span, viewed a police-relevant threatening or control video, and completed a computerized shooting task. Results indicated a significant negative association between operation span and the tendency to shoot at unarmed targets. Exposure to police-related threat did not influence shooting behavior. Results suggest that regardless of whether circumstances are threatening, individuals with limited WM capacity are at increased risk of aggressive shooting behavior.