Kennesaw State University sophomore Emily Martinez is conducting research on how trauma may affect decision-making in stressful situations. Martinez, a psychology major at the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences, focused her study on instinctive fear responses—such as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—and their connection to the moral principles people use when under stress.
Martinez participated in KSU’s Sophomore Scholars program and presented her findings at the American Society of Criminology Conference in Washington, D.C. “Fear responses are inherent. You don’t think about them; you just react,” Martinez said. “I wanted to understand what drives that reaction, what morals, values or past experiences influence how a person responds when they’re under stress.”
Guided by assistant professor Lisa Thompson from the criminal justice department, Martinez used the moral foundations theory for her research. This theory suggests that moral judgments arise from deeply held values like care and fairness (individualizing morals) and authority and loyalty (binding morals).
Martinez initially expected those with strong individualizing morals would be more likely to act morally during stress. However, her findings showed that previous experiences had a larger effect than anticipated. “Both individualizing and binding morals played a role, but neither predicted behavior in the way I anticipated,” she said. “People’s past experiences including upbringing and trauma, as well as confidence levels and decision-making speed, had a larger impact than the type of morality they valued.”
She also noted that participants with a history of deviance were more likely to respond with aggression (the fight response) in certain situations.
According to Martinez, understanding these influences could help professionals who work with trauma survivors—including mental health specialists and social workers.
Thompson commented on the broader significance of this research: “As we learn more about how and why people choose to offend, we can develop a more humanistic approach to behavioral prevention and intervention efforts,” she said. “This can allow us to better understand the individual, complicated, and sometimes seemingly irrational motivations that lead people to crime.”
At the conference in Washington D.C., Martinez delivered an oral presentation on her research before an audience of academic researchers and practitioners nationwide. Reflecting on her experience presenting at the national event, Martinez said: “That experience was incredible. To present alongside researchers studying similar topics and share my own work at a national conference, it opened my eyes to what I can do in this field.”
A resident of Marietta and graduate of Kell High School, Martinez chose psychology due to her interest in understanding people. She credits KSU’s First-Year Scholars and Sophomore Scholars programs for helping her find this passion early in college life.
“KSU gave me the opportunity to explore research early, and that changed everything,” she said. “It has helped me grow my critical thinking, curiosity and my confidence. It’s one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had.”
