Run, Hide, or Freeze: Social and Emotional Influence on Behavior in an Immersive School Shooting Simulation

As school shootings rise in frequency across the United States, understanding how individuals respond during such crises is critical for developing effective safety protocols. This study used an immersive, computer-based simulation to investigate how social influence and emotion level from non-player characters (NPCs) affect behavior during an active shooter event. A total of 285 participants were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions varying NPC behavior (run, hide, or mixed) and emotional intensity (high vs. low). Participants were more likely to run when surrounded by NPCs who ran and more likely to hide when NPCs hid, showing that social influence significantly shaped behavior. Emotional evocative imagery and sounds, however, did not significantly affect decision-making. Increases in negative affect after the simulation and male gender were also associated with a greater likelihood of running. These findings suggest that visible social behavior, rather than emotion, drives emergency responses and highlights the value of social modeling in safety training.