Development of a New Evacuation Method for Emergencies: Control of Collective Behavior by Emergent Small Groups

A new evacuation method for emergencies, the Follow Me method, in which each leader takes only one evacuee to an exit without gesturing or loudly directing many evacuees toward the exit, was compared, in two field experiments, with a traditional method, the Follow Directions method, in which each le...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied psychology 1988-02, Vol.73 (1), p.3-10
Main Authors: Sugiman, Toshio, Misumi, Jyuji
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Crises
Disasters
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Group Dynamics
Human
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Social psychology
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Summary:A new evacuation method for emergencies, the Follow Me method, in which each leader takes only one evacuee to an exit without gesturing or loudly directing many evacuees toward the exit, was compared, in two field experiments, with a traditional method, the Follow Directions method, in which each leader indicates the direction with a loud voice and vigorous gestures. Results showed that the Follow Me method was more effective when the leader-to-evacuee ratio was relatively small, such as 1:4, and less effective when the ratio was large, such as 1:8. Effective evacuation by the Follow Me method was shown to be caused by the drawing power of emergent small groups. Generating from around a leader, other evacuees rapidly formed a collective stream toward the exit. Small groups can be used as a lever in moving a larger collectivity in an emergency, as well as in activating a large formal organization.
ISSN:0021-9010
1939-1854
DOI:10.1037/0021-9010.73.1.3