Observing and Measuring The Links Between Morals, Deviant Behavior, and The 4F’s Trauma Response Structure
Disciplines
Cognitive Psychology | Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance
Abstract (300 words maximum)
In 1915, American Physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon introduced “The 4F responses,” a theory that essentially suggests that trauma responses (i.e., fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) can disrupt moral reasoning, potentially increasing the likelihood of participating in or accepting deviant behavior by altering how individuals assess right and wrong in both high-stress and ordinary situations. This project takes an interdisciplinary approach and uses the Moral Foundations Theory to explore how an individual’s moral intuitions impact their trauma responses and behavioral outcomes. The current study uses a survey method to present participants with hypothetical scenarios, allowing for the measurement of decision-making outcomes and processes (e.g., reaction times, difficulty experience, confidence, etc.). Based on previous research and preliminary findings, we would expect to find that trauma responses would vary as a function of people’s moral intuitions. Overall, the projection of the findings and results collected are to ultimately prove the links, relationships, and effects of these natural trauma responses towards moral decision-making.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Sociology & Criminal Justice
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Lisa Thompson
Observing and Measuring The Links Between Morals, Deviant Behavior, and The 4F’s Trauma Response Structure
In 1915, American Physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon introduced “The 4F responses,” a theory that essentially suggests that trauma responses (i.e., fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) can disrupt moral reasoning, potentially increasing the likelihood of participating in or accepting deviant behavior by altering how individuals assess right and wrong in both high-stress and ordinary situations. This project takes an interdisciplinary approach and uses the Moral Foundations Theory to explore how an individual’s moral intuitions impact their trauma responses and behavioral outcomes. The current study uses a survey method to present participants with hypothetical scenarios, allowing for the measurement of decision-making outcomes and processes (e.g., reaction times, difficulty experience, confidence, etc.). Based on previous research and preliminary findings, we would expect to find that trauma responses would vary as a function of people’s moral intuitions. Overall, the projection of the findings and results collected are to ultimately prove the links, relationships, and effects of these natural trauma responses towards moral decision-making.