Alone and Crowded: The Effects of Spatial Restriction on Measures of Affect and Simulation Response

Abstract

Previous crowding research has focused almost exclusively on the individual in group situations. This study varied spatial dimensions for single male occupants of experimental chambers, and examined the effects on selected affective and behavioral measures. More severe spatial restrictions for subjects produced significant increases in feelings of crowding and these feelings were associated with a generally negative affective profile. Factor analyses of semantic scales revealed perceptions of crowding to be relatively independent of general negative affect, subject's role, the closed environment or its temperature. Analysis of variance on behavioral measures in a design simulation showed that restricted subjects were more careful to distribute people within a given space to provide greater interpersonal distances.