| Abstract: | In an anticipatory crowding context, an attempt was made to assess the effects of various control-relevant messages for ameliorating crowding stress. Two informational foci (i.e., situational and emotional) were employed, and it was found that situational information was more effective in relieving discomfort associated with anticipated high-density than emotionally-focused information. In addition, an exploratory attempt was made to evaluate the effectiveness for relieving crowding stress of control-relevant information highlighting different aspects of density (i.e., overload, spatial intrusion, and interference). In general, it was found that such messages were effective in relieving discomfort to the extent that they accurately described the characteristics of the setting that subjects were anticipating. |
