Ecological approaches to understanding human crowding

Abstract

level of analysis. Our starting point will be the propo sition that the critical feature that all parameters of density share in common, whether they be increases in group size, reductions in unit space, or increased physical proximity, is that they decrease the margin of safety for contacts with the social environment. Moreover, I believe that there is a higher order isomorphism between Gibson's view that there is a perceptual mechanism which provides the person with an early warning system in regard to imminence of contact with the physical environment, and certain properties of the social environment which allow people to control the imminence of contacts between themselves and the onrushing social environment. Specifically, it is proposed that the margin of safety or control over imminence of encounter formulation of Gibson (1977) maps perfectly into the description that theorists such as Proshansky et al. (1970) and Altman (1975) have provided of how territoriality, personal space, nonverbal gestures, cultural rituals, etc. serve as mechanisms to provide privacy, that is, an optimal level of contact with the social environment. Dynamically, we will be concerned with how increases in density affect imminence of encounter. Similarly, at the struc tural level, we will be concerned with specifying what structures support margins of safety. This analysis, which will be carried out separately for within unit and within structure changes in density, involves an application of Shaw's event perception interpretation of affordances (See Shaw and Pittenger, 1977; Shaw et al., 1974). Specifically, this involves beingable to specify the nature or style of change which is induced by changes in density (the transformational invariants) as well as the entity properties which maintain their identity over change (stuctural invariants). Invariants for Within Unit Density Effects In terms of Gibson's imminence of contact concept, it may be argued that, in the case of within unit density, territories and manipulations of the semifixed physical environment (arrange ments of furniture) provide a buffer, gap, or margin of safety against unexpected imminence of contact with the social en vironment. Thus, given the increasing lack of availability of an opaque enclosure which ensures privacy?for example, a room This content downloaded from 157.55.39.27 on Wed, 07 Sep 2016 05:15:09 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms