Psych 372 Environmental Psychology (9 Crowding)

5/20/2018 Psych 372 Environmental Psychology (9 Crowding)

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CrowdingPsychology 372


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What well cover

What is crowding? Crowding vs density

Variables affecting crowding

Behavioural outcomes of crowding

Theories of crowding

Applications


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Crowding

It would seem an obvious thing

Just measure people/unit distance

But doing this gives a measure of density

Crowding is more about the feeling of being crowded

We know this because many of the behavioural antecedents of crowding are independent of density

Three components of crowding

A situational antecedent (close approach, new people arrive, access to something Affectusually negative

Behavioural consequenceaggression, leaving, withdrawing from contact


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Montano and Adamopoulos - model for crowd

Studied a large number of different situations and came up with a 4 (situationx 5 (behaviour) model to classify all instances of crowding, how we feel abouhow we respond

Situationconstraint, physical interference, mere presence of others, unmet expec

Affectnegative reactions to others, negative reactions to situation, positive

Behaviourassertion, completion, psychological withdrawal, physical withdrawal, a


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Variables affecting crowding

Personality

Locus of control, sociability, expectations, experience

Gender

Mood, culture, history (community size)

Social influences

What others are doing (touching, doing things you dont like)

Coalition formation

Provision of information

Physical influences

Scale (at small scale, physical size most important)

Architecture (ceiling height, sunlight, architectural depth)

Temperature


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Behavioural effects of crowding

Physiological and psychological stress

Research often difficult to interpret because many other things (such as income) ofwith differences in density

Crowding in public transit is known to increase salivary cortisol

But this dependsinterpersonal spacing is much more important than density

Performance

Some effects on complex tasks, those that require interaction, or where we are wat

Social behaviour

Pathologyin aggregate studies, homicides are higher in high density but suicide

Aggressionmostly tight correlations in prison

Gender differences


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Behavioural effects of crowding

Social effects (continued)

Hostility and unhelpfulness

Dropped letter studiesletters less likely returned in high density

Social withdrawal


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The moderating effects of culture

Evidence is somewhat mixed but consensus is that there are cultural differencrowding sensitivity and in responses to crowding

One idea is that the age of a culture has an influence

Probably because, over time, rules, conventions, and strategies for dealing with cro

One study showed higher negative effects from residential crowding in Chicago for African group that experienced daunting cultural upheaval over the past 2 centuries

Asian behavioural and design norms

Explicit roles and spatial markers for individuals of different status

Even looking in the wrong direction can be sacrosanct

Low emotional engagement

Queuing, for example


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Like much of the rest of the field, there are many different theories meant to adifferent aspects of crowdingantecedents, behaviour, consequences

Antecedents

No encompassing theory for personal or physical antecedents, though we have seeimportant elements (gender, history, expectation for personal and architectural dept

For social, there is

density-intensity theory (everything is experienced more intensely at high densitya bit lik

arousal and encroachment on personal space). prisons always negative but cities can bsame density

Social physics model density conceived as acting almost like gravitational force, so we hall the interpersonal distances to predict crowding


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Psychological process theories

Loss of personal control

Cognitive controlcan be achieved by presentation of information (eg. Waiting list times inwarnings in traffic jambs)

Behavioural controlwe are only upset in crowds when we are thwarted (eg. Happy in higconcert but not when its time to leave)

Decisional controlwhen a crowd limits our options, such as choosing a seat in a crowded

Overload theories

Similar to control theories but the emphasis is on the balance between preferred and incom

This allows the theory to incorporate personal factors


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Consequences

Physiological cortisol, high blood pressure, immune dysfunction

These are simple responses to crowding and very common

Behavioural

Control theories predict that we will act to restore control (Reactance)

Violence, withdrawals

Overload theories predict that we will act to restore balance

Most commonly, withdrawal


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Applications

Prisons

This is one of the most important areas of application for crowding research becausprisons, unlike most other places, translates strongly into violence

Early prison designs (and a few more recent ones), based on Benthams idea of theall inmates can be seen but they dont know when

Almost an obligatory loss of architectural depth

Prison reform efforts in Canada not necessarily guided by crowding concerns, but they do

Dormitory style is rare

Architectural depth simulates home style settings

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Psych 372 Environmental Psychology (9 Crowding)