Exit Choice Research Articles

Fire alarm in a public building: how do people evaluate information and choose an evacuation exit?

How people react to a fire alarm has been studied in retrospect as well as in experiments. In the present study, the choice of exit was examined with respect to the distance to exits and open or closed emergency exit. The second part deals with some communication aspects regarding identification of signs. It is shown that the subjects prefer a familiar ordinary cash exit even if the distance to that exit is longer than to the nearest emergency exit. However, if the emergency exit is open and the subjects can see the outside, an emergency exit becomes more attractive and most of the subjects choose the emergency exit. The understanding of signs important in a fire evacuation situation is very good. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Empowerment, coercive persuasion and organizational learning: do they connect?

Although organizational learning is often defined as the result of many individuals learning generatively in an organizational context, the argument is made that such learning is de facto coercive persuasion. Generative learning by the individual requires free choice of exit if and when cognitive redefinition becomes painful. When organizations demand such redefinition as part of culture change programs they are de facto creating a situation of coercive persuasion. We must then examine our moral position with respect to both the methods of learning and the ultimate goals of the change effort.

FIRESCAP: A computer simulation model of reaction to a fire alarm

We develop a theoretical model and its computer‐simulation translation of evacuation response to a fire alarm, based on past research on fire emergencies and on crowd behavior as well as on our past and continuing investigation of the Beverly Hills fire disaster. The simulation model presents graphically the status of individuals and socially tied pairs in a room as they initiate evacuation—typically in response to ambiguous information—and move toward alternative exits. Individual and pair status—including choice of exit—can change during evacuation in response to changing physical and social cues; statuses include pace of movement and cooperativeness‐competitiveness. We also present some experimental results on the sensitivity of the model's outcomes to variation in several parameters.

Indépendance professionnelle, relations entre les sexes et mobilisations collectives

Self-employed craftsmen and tradesmen belong to much more traditional families than wagers. In these families the wife often helps her husband at work in an informal way. For her, there is no clear-cut difference between household labor (of which she carries out a larger part than a paid woman) and professional work. The boss in the small firm is the master at home. During the last twenty years family law has considerably changed in France. In the seventies, the feminist movement was at its climax. In this context, a move away tradition was easier : private difficulties were transformed into a public demand for professional status, through collective action of self-employed craftsmen' and tradesmen' wives. This strategy of voice succeeded to change and informal activity (which was considered up to that time as mutual assistance between spouses) into a «true job » thus giving these women the social identity they were looking for . But the ultimate step of this action in the eighties and nineties is the creation of a national diploma corresponding to the job. Thus, in the future, young generations will have the choice of exit towards the labor market if, for any reason, cooperation in the couple is no longer possible.

An adaptable microcomputer model for evacuation management

A simulation method is presented which enables a modeler to identify dangerous bottlenecks for emergency building evacuation and to test the sensitivity of occupant exit behavior to evacuation improvement strategies. The modeling method is tested against landmark evacuation data of Pauls and Jones, and used to predict problems and solutions for a complex evacuation situation involving a large university building with multiple exit choices. Some concluding remarks are addressed to a future research agenda for this method.

Exit Choice Behaviour During The Evacuation Of Two Lecture Theatres

Exit Choice Behaviour During The Evacuation Of Two Lecture Theatres

Development of axon paths of motorneurons after removal of target muscles in a holometabolous insect

The fate of leg motor neurons and the outgrowth of their axons was studied in fleshflies after removal of their target muscles before the onset of axogenesis. When a mesothoracic leg imaginal disc was extirpated in the prepupa the corresponding leg nerve was missing on the operated side of the five-legged adult fly. Horseradish peroxidase and cobalt filling revealed that the target-deprived motorneurons survive and their axons grow out through other nerve roots. The choice of exit of the axons is variable: adjacent pro- or metathoracic leg nerves on the ipsilateral side or nerves supplying thoracic muscles (e.g. indirect flight muscles). In order to see whether factors in the mesothoracic leg disc can attract mesothoracic motorneurons, implantation of supernumerary leg discs was made in prepupae. Motor innervation of the implanted legs was never seen. Our data thus indicate that under the present experimental conditions leg motor neurons are not dependent on their specific targets for survival. They can track along adjacent preexisting axonal paths to innervate other targets. Under normal conditions specific markers may be present in the appropriate targets and the appropriate preexisting pathways (that we disrupt in our experiments) may lead the axons to these markers.

Movement toward the Familiar

A study is reported of the direction of people's escape from a fire in a large-scale room containing an entrance and emergency fire exit in opposite corners. The affiliative model tested predicts that in a situation of potential entrapment people would move toward familiar persons and places. This model of behavior is contrasted with physical science and complementary panic concepts underlying escape route design. These assume a deterministic relationship between the physical availability and proximity of an emergency exit and its subsequent use. Although proximity to an exit was important, support was also found for the affiliative model in the statistical interrelationships found. In general, staff left by the fire exit whereas individual members of the public separated from other group members located themselves toward the entrance end and left that way. Choice of location and exit used were mediated by person and place affiliations. Future research should examine the degree to which people's direction of movement is influenced by affiliative ties in a variety of fires. Place affiliation, it is argued, is not addressed sufficiently in escape route design.

U.S. NAVY INVESTIGATION INTO DEVELOPING ROLL‐ON/ROLL‐OFF SHIP DISCHARGE FACILITIES AT SEA

ABSTRACTA decreasing supply of amphibious ships capable of offloading vehicles at an undeveloped beach prompted the U.S. Navy to begin investigating the use of commercial Roll‐On/Roll‐Off (RO/RO) ships for follow‐on support of future amphibious landings.p>RO/RO ships are capable of carrying large numbers of vehicles and containers which makes them ideal for supporting an amphibious operation. However, most commercial RO/ROs are designed to offload only at specially prepared wharves where permanently installed ramps are available.This paper reviews the ongoing efforts of the U.S. Navy through the Civil Engineering Laboratory to identify and design the optimum offloading concept for the major classes of RO/RO ships available. Variables which are taken into consideration include: RO/RO ship selection. Military vehicle characteristics (What are maximums?). Military vehicle interface problems with vessel. Choice of exit from vessel (Which is optimum?). Rate of offloading (Can goals be met?).

Labor Force Entry and Exit by Married Women: A Longitudinal Analysis

In this paper the labor force entry and exit by married women are examined using longitudinal data that enable one to observe actual changes in economic behavior and characteristics. The symmetry assumption is investigated by estimating separate equations for the entry and exit choice. Section II briefly analyzes the wifes labor supply decision and discusses the issue of symmetry. The data and analytical procedure are described in section III and the empirical results are presented in section IV. Some implications of our findings are presented in section V. (excerpt)