Abstract

This study attempts to investigate psychological mechanism of crowding experience in apartment residential settings according to the model of crowding experience suggested by Eunju Rhee & Gene Yoon (1986) with setting-specific approach. The respondents are the housewives who are living in the Doon-Chon Ju-Gong Apartment Complex in Seoul. Density of an apartment, individual and social variables of respondents and physical environmental variables are selected as the antecedent variables that influence on crowding experience. Four indices of apartment density were used; size of the apartment, number of family members, person per room and number of roommates. Individual variables include size and type of past residence, years of living in current residence, evaluation of current residence comparing with past and future residence, ownership of current residence and reason for selecting current residence. Developmental stages and the pattern of family structure are chosen as social variable. And the level of noise is physical environmental variable. Crowding experience is measured by four dependent measures; perceived controllability, perception of crowding, affective response to crowding and behavioral response to crowding. The results of stepwise multiple regression are as follows: At the first stage, some of the antecedent variables significantly influence to perceived controllability and at the next stage, perceived controllability mediates between antecedent variables and crowding perception. And at following stage, the crowding perception and perceived controllablity mediate between antecedent variables and affective response, and at the last stage, only affective response significantly influences on behavioral response.