Cited by 480Evacuation and Crowd DynamicsOpinion Dynamics and Social InfluenceUrban and sociocultural dynamics

Note on the drawing power of crowds of different size

Milgram, Stanley, Bickman, Leonard, Berkowitz, Lawrence·1969·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Abstract

This study reports on the relationship between the size of stimulus crowd, standing on busy city street looking up at building, and the response of passersby. As the size of the stimulus crowd was increased greater proportion of passersby adopted the behavior of the crowd. The results of this study suggest modification of the Coleman and James model of the size of freeforming groups to include contagion assumption. Ill typical urban setting, when group of people engage in an action simultaneously, they have the capacity to draw others into the crowd. The actions of the initial group may serve as stimulus for others to imitate this action. A careful analysis of the details of crowd formation is of obvious interest to society in which collective action plays an increasingly important part in social life. One theoretical formulation that bears on this problem is that of Coleman and James (1961). Coleman and James assumed that there is natural process by which free-forming groups acquire and lose members and thus reach specific maximum sizes. They have developed model that generates size distribution that closely approximates the actually observed size distribution of many thousands of groups. The central assumption of their model of acquisition and loss are a constant tendency of group member to break away, independent of the group, thus producing

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Crossref · 10.1037/h0028070

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4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Adjusting the response threshold based on the number of agents that look up would lead to an asymptotic curve between group size and imitation.

    “Indeed, adjusting the response threshold based on the number of agents that look up would likewise lead to an asymptotic curve between group size and imitation (Milgram et al., 1969).”

    From Automatic imitation of multiple agents: A computational model (2019) · cites this paper as Milgram et al., 1969

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Authors
Milgram, S., Bickman, L., & Berkowitz, L.
Affiliations
City College of New York (US)
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Published
1969-10
Volume
13
Issue
2
Pages
79-82
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
OpenAlex
W2075395993
Cited by
479
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 28 · 2016: 32 · 2015: 34 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 20
FWCI
5.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Ocean Engineering › Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
  • Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban and sociocultural dynamics
Keywords
crowd size, passersby, imitation, contagion, group size distribution, collective action, urban crowds

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