| Abstract: | A proximity index was developed to predict different degrees of an S's reaction to the presence of an audience. Reactions were expected to be a simple multiplicative function of the number of others raised to an exponent and the closeness of others raised to an exponent. This model was tested in 3 experiments. The 1st 2 asked 8 and 20 undergraduates to provide ratio-scale judgments of crowding in reaction to slides that varied the number and distance of an audience. Results conform closely to the proximity index and provide estimated exponents close to the square root. The 3rd study investigated judgments of crowding and social facilitation in a between-S design in which 132 undergraduates learned a simple maze alone or in the presence of an audience that varied in size (2, 4, or 8) and closeness (3, 10, or 24 ft). Crowding judgments replicated the 1st 2 studies. Audience size, but not distance, affected learning and cue recall. In front of the largest audience, Ss learned more slowly, forgot less during rests, and recalled fewer peripheral aspects of the experiment. Results support the proximity index and B. Latané's (see record 1982-01296-001) social impact theory for judgments of crowding. Overall, the data suggest an empirical law of interpersonal reactions: Reactions to others can be expected to increase as the square root of their number and decrease as the square root of their distance. (71 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
