It was hypothesized that the widespread failure of crowding studies to show decrements in task performance as a function of density was due to the omission of physical interaction from laboratory analogues of crowding Using male subjects, the present study manipulated density (high vs. low) and physical interaction (high vs. low) in a 2 X 2 design. It was found that decrements in performance on cognitive and behavioral components of the experimental task occurred only in the high density -high physical interaction condition Subjects did not differentially attribute their performance to task difficulty, effort, or ability. Also, their perceptions of crowding did not show the same pattern of results that was found on the performance measures. Thus, neither task attributions nor perceptions of crowding are seen as likely mediators of the performance decrements. The additional demands placed on attentional mechanisms and the goal blocking created by other subjects in the high densityhigh physical interaction condition are discussed as possible mediators of the performance effects One of the most surprising results of current research on crowding has been the lack of any consistent pattern of detrimental effects of high-density situations on either task performance or affective reactions in humans. Although Worchel and Teddlie (1976) have helped specify the determinants of the perception of crowding, the factors in high-density situations affecting performance are less clear. Whereas some researchers (Baum, Harpin, & Valins, 1975) have found that crowded living conditions adversely affect the nature and outcomes of social interactions, most evidence suggests that crowding does not produce decrements in task performance (Freedman, Klevansky, & Ehrlich, 1971;Kutner, 1973;Sherrod, 1974). There is even some evidence suggesting that high-density situations

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