Crowding and human aggressiveness

Abstract

Two experiments investigated the effect of crowding on human aggressiveness by placing groups of Ss in small or large rooms for several hours. In both experiments there was no main effect of crowding but there was an interaction between sex of subject in one-sex groups and the size of the room. In Expt. I, all-male groups were more competitive in small rooms while all-female groups were less competitive in small rooms. In Expt. II, all-male groups gave more severe sentences in a small room than in a large room while all-female groups were more lenient in the small than the large room. Mixed-sex groups showed no effect of room size for either the whole group or each sex considered separately. Affective reactions by the same sex groups were consistent with these measures, males being generally more positive to each other in the experiment in the large room while females were more positive in the small room. It is concluded that crowding does not have a generally negative effect on humans and that what effects it does have are mediated by other factors in the situation. An explanation of the sex-difference is offered.