Dormitory Density and Helping Behavior

The Consequences of Living in High-Rise Buildings

“…For example, stamped, addressed letters without a return address were placed on hallway floors in college dormitories that were 22-25 storeys, 4-7 storeys, or 2-4 storeys (Bickman et al, 1973). The number of letters mailed was the measure of prosocial behavior.…”

The Experience of Crowding in Primary and Secondary Environments

“…Also, Baum and Val ins ( 1973) observed that students at SUNY., Stony Brook rated corridor design dorms as more crowded than suite-design dorms, presumably because the former provide less shielding from unwanted social interaction than the latter. Bickman, Teger, Gabriele et al ( 1973), in a field study employing the "lost letter technique" (Milgram, 1969), found that residents of high density dorms were less likely to enact altruistic behavior than those of low density dwellings. These results were explained in terms of Milgram's ( 1970) analysis of adaptation to overload, which posits a pattern of decreased involvement with others as a means of avoiding excessive stimulation under conditions of high density.…”

Population density, crowding and human behaviour

“…Studies of the effects of long-term exposure do not generally lend themselves to field experiments. However, Bickman et al (1973) did use such a procedure to examine the effects of number of persons per structure (p.p.s.) on behaviour and attitudes of residents of different university dormitories.…”