NCJ Number
87309
Journal
Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume: 12 Issue: 5 Dated: (September/October 1982) Pages: 398-407
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A field experiment, conducted by the Traffic Patrol Division of the Surrey, British Columbia Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1979, sought to determine if officers wearing holstered weapons and mirrored sunglasses affected the degree of aggressiveness in citizens' nonverbal responses.
Abstract
Subjects included 87 men and 46 women stopped by four officers. The degree of nonverbal aggression was reported on a mood scale by the 133 citizens halted for an information check (neutral condition) or for a traffic ticket (negative condition). Results indicated that subjects in the negative condition both expressed and reported more aggressive feelings when the police officer wore a weapon than when no weapon was visible. The use of sunglasses had no effect on aggressive feelings but resulted in the officers' being perceived more negatively, though they were not perceived more negatively when they wore a weapon. No sex differences in expressed or reported aggressiveness were obtained, although some sex differences on measures of secondary interest occurred. Implications of the research findings are discussed. Figures and 20 references are provided. (Author abstract modified)