Qualifications

BSc, Zoology (Wales), 1965
PhD, Psychology (Bristol), 1970
Fellow - British Psychological Society (since 1982)
President - International Society for Research on Aggression (ISRA) 2000-2004

I joined the Department of Psychology in 1975 when the University of Central Lancashire was Preston Polytechnic, after 6 years as an MRC Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. I became Professor of Psychology in 1990.

Research

Research Interests

My current research interests concern aggression and violence, in particular: sex differences in aggression in relation to sexual selection; young male violence in relation to evolutionary psychology (with Van Lal Thanzami); sex differences including partner violence (with Niki Graham-Kevan); aggression and bullying in secure institutions (with Jane Ireland); attributions about aggression; testosterone and aggression. I am also interested in human attachment to pets from an evolutionaryperspective; grief and loss,  and meta-analysis. I have co-authored publications with Sylvana Côté (Université de Montreal); Tony Pellegrini (University of Minnesota); Mike Potegal (University of Minnesota). I have also co-edited the book Developmental origins of aggression (2005) with Richard Tremblay (Université de Montreal) and Willard Hartup (University of Minnesota). I am on the editorial board of the journal Aggressive Behavior, and  member of Review Panel for Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Brain & Cognition programme.

Research Area

Aggression Research Group

Research Students

Chris Bale*, Elizabeth Bates, Charlotte Biggs, Natalie Harrison, Linda Kaye, Ioan Ohlsson, Abigail Thornton,  Polly Turner, Rowland Williams,  Fiona Wilkes-Riley, Susanne Wolf,

*As Director of studies 

Publications

Representative publications

Archer, J. & Monton, S. (in press). Preferences for infant facial features in pet dogs and cats. Ethology

Archer, J. (in press). Pet keeping: A case study in maladaptive behavior. In C. Salmon & T. Shackelford (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of evolutionary family psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Archer, J. (2010). Derivation and assessment of a hypermasculine values questionnaire. British Journal of Social Psychology , 49, 525-551.

Thornton, A.J., Graham-Kevan, N. & Archer, J. (in press). Adaptive and maladaptive personality traits as predictors of violent and non-violent offending behavior in men and women. Aggressive Behavior 

Archer, J. (2009). Does sexual selection explain human sex differences in aggression? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 32, 249-311. [target article, commentaries and author’s response][click for pdf] 

Archer, J. (2009). The nature of human aggression. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 32, 302-308. [click for pdf]

Archer, J. & Southall, N. (2009). Does cost-benefit analysis or self-control predict involvement in bullying behavior by male prisoners? Aggressive Behavior, 35, 31-40. [click for pdf]

Graham-Kevan, N. & Archer, J. (2009). Control tactics and partner violence in heterosexual relationships. Evolution & Human Behavior, 30, 445-452. [click for pdf]

Archer, J., & Thanzami, V.L. (2009). The relation between mate value, entitlement, physical aggression, size and strength, among a sample of young Indian men. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 315-321. [click for pdf]

Archer, J. (2008). Theories of grief: Past, present and future perspectives. In M. Stroebe, R.O. Hansson, & W. Stroebe (Eds.), Handbook of Bereavement Research and Practice: 21st Century Perspectives (pp. 45-65). Washington, DC: APA.

Archer, J. & Benson, D. A. (2008). Physical aggression as a function of perceived fighting ability and provocation: An experimental investigation. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 9-24. [click for pdf]

Archer, J.  & Fisher, H. (2008). Bereavement and reactions to romantic rejection: A psychobiological perspective. In M. Stroebe, R.O. Hansson, & W. Stroebe (Eds.), Handbook of Bereavement Research and Practice: 21st Century Perspectives (pp. 349-371). Washington, DC: APA.

Wigman, S.J., Graham-Kevan, N.  & Archer J. (2008). Investigating sub-groups of stalkers: The roles of attachment, dependency, jealousy and aggression. Journal of Family Violence, 23, 557-568. [click for pdf]

Coyne, S.M., Archer, J., Eslea, M. & Liechty, T. (2008).  Adolescent perceptions of indirect forms of relational aggression: Sex of perpetrator effects. Aggressive Behavior, 34, 577-583.  [save as pdf]

Graham-Kevan, N. & Archer J. (2008). Does controlling behavior predict physical aggression and violence towards partners? Journal of Family Violence, 23, 539-548.

Ireland, J.L. & Archer, J. (2008). Impulsivity among adult prisoners: A confirmatory factor analysis study of the Barratt Impulsivity Scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 45, 286-292.[click for pdf]

Archer, J. (2007). Physical aggression as a function of perceived fighting ability among male and female prisoners.  Aggressive Behavior, 33, 563-573. [ click for pdf ]

Archer, J. (2007). A cross-cultural perspective on physical aggression between partners. Issues in Forensic Psychology, 6, 125-13. [click for pdf]

Archer, J., Ireland, J.L., & Power, C. L. (2007).  Differences between bullies and victims, and men and women, on aggression-related variables among prisoners.  British Journal of Social Psychology, 46, 299-322. [ click for pdf ]

Archer, J., & Thanzami, V.L. (2007). The relation between physical aggression, size and strength, among a sample of young Indian men. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 627-633. [ click for pdf ]

Brewer, G., & Archer, J. (2007). What do people infer from facial attractiveness? The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 5, 13-23. [click for pdf]

Brewer, G., Archer, J., & Manning, J. T. (2007). Physical attractiveness: The objective ornament and subjective self-ratings. The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 5, 61-70.

Ireland, J. L., Archer, J., & Power, C. L. (2007). The characteristics of male and female prisoners involved in bullying behavior.  Aggressive Behavior, 33, 230-241. [click for pdf ]

Archer, J. (2006). Testosterone and human behavior: An evaluation of the challenge hypothesis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 30, 319-345. [ click for pdf ]

Archer, J. (2006). Cross-cultural differences in physical aggression between partners: A social-structural analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 133-153. [ click for pdf ]

Archer, J. (2004). Sex differences in aggression in real-world settings: A meta-analytic review. Review of General Psychology, 8, 291-322. [click for pdf ]

O'Connor, D.B., Archer, J., & Wu, F.C.W. (2004). Effects of testosterone on mood, aggression and sexual behavior in young men: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism , 89, 2837-2845. [ ]

Archer, J. (2001). Broad and narrow perspectives in grief theory: A comment on Bonanno and Kaltman (1999). Psychological Bulletin, 127, 554-560. [click for pdf]

O'Connor, D.B., Archer, J., Hair, M. & Wu, F.W.C. (2001). Activational effects of testosterone on cognitive function in men. Neuropsychologia , 39, 1385-1394. [click for pdf ]

Teaching

PS1500 Topics in Psychology
PS1610 The monkey in the mind (Elective)
PS3105 The Psychology of Violent Behaviour
PS3900 Project supervision
PS4103 The Social Psychology of Gender
PS4203 Developmental Origins of Sexual Preferences
PS4301 Research on Grief and Loss
PS4700 Advanced Research Methods
PS4802 Personal Attributes of Victims and Offenders
PS4890 Advanced Forensic Psychology Project