Pushing and Non-pushing Forward Motion in Crowds: A Systematic Psychological Observation Method for Rating Individual Behavior in Pedestrian Dynamics

Abstract

Pushing behavior impairs people’s sense of well-being in a crowd and represents a significant safety risk. There are nevertheless still a lot of unanswered questions about who behaves how in a crowded situation, and when, where, and why pushing behavior occurs. Beginning from the supposition that a crowd is not thoroughly homogenous and that behavior can change over time, we developed a method to observe and rate forward motion. Based on the guidelines of quantitative content analysis, we came up with four categories: (1) falling behind, (2) just walking, (3) mild pushing, and (4) strong pushing. These categories allow for the classification of the behavior of any person at any time in a video, and thereby the method allows for a comprehensive systematization of individuals’ actions alongside temporal crowd dynamics. The application of this method involves videos of moving crowds including trajectories. The initial results show a very good inter-coder reliability between two trained raters demonstrating the general suitability of the system to describe forward motion in crowds systematically and quantify it for further analysis. In this way, pushing behavior can be better understood and, prospectively, risks better identified. This article offers a comprehensive presentation of this method of observation.

Behavioral patterns of children during emergency evacuations: a comparative analysis of experimental observations and simulation results

“…to consider how different classroom layouts may affect the safe evacuation of children. Furthermore, similar pushing behavior has been observed in both child and adult evacuations, posing an increased risk of injury or casualty, as noted in studies [10,11]. Given that children are among the most vulnerable groups in society, such behavior presents an even greater danger due to their comparatively underdeveloped psychological, physical and cognitive capacities.…”

“…Pushing behavior, particularly in crowded conditions, poses significant safety risks. Previous studies have highlighted that pushing and shoving, especially from behind, can escalate to increased density and pressure, potentially leading to injuries or fatalities [10,11]. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the effects of running and pushing behaviors when formulating effective evacuation strategies for children.…”

“…During evacuations, not all individuals exhibit pushing behavior to the same degree [11]. To examine the impact of children's pushing behavior on evacuation process, we analyze how the proportion of children who push and the strength of the pushing force (i.e.…”

“…The existing literature has suggested that pedestrians exhibit a variety of complex behavioral patterns during evacuations under emergency situations, e.g. herding behavior [6,7], grouping behavior [8,9], pushing behavior [10][11][12] J. Stat. Mech.…”

A Coupled SFM-ASCRIBE Model To Investigate the Influence of Emotions and Collective Behavior in Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Crowds

“…Understanding how crowds move and behave is crucial, especially in panic situations. Experimental setups, often involving real-world scenarios and controlled environments, have been designed to closely monitor and analyze crowd dynamics such as pushing behaviour [1], bottleneck effects [2] and stop and go waves [3]. In an effort to shed light on the factors influencing human crowd evacuation during such circumstances, scientists have developed various models, focusing on two main categories: macroscopic and microscopic models.…”