Consideration of the data range of biosignal sensors in response to the rating scale: laboratory experiments focusing on the personal space region

Abstract

To improve the accuracy of crowd simulations, dynamic modeling reflects pedestrians’ emotional states is necessary. However, there remains a scarcity of research that quantifies pedestrians’ emotional states during crowding using both biometric measurements and psychological assessments. In this study, we conducted a laboratory experiment in which participants were integrated into the flow of a crowd to replicate pedestrian behavior under crowded conditions. The experiment focused on the range from “minimum proximity distance to the boundary of personal space”. We measured five patterns at 100 mm intervals within a range from 500 mm (45.92 person/m²) – the distance at which shoulders touch – to 900mm (14.15 person/m²) – the interpersonal distance. By having eight actors stand randomly around a single participant, we created a simulation that closely resembled the flow of an unspecified crowd. The analysis was based on physiological measurements and subjective evaluations via questionnaires from a total of 20 participants. We identified the psychological evaluation items with the highest concentration of responses at each interpersonal distance and calculated the corresponding physiological reaction thresholds based on quartiles. The results revealed a consistent trend: as interpersonal distance increased, psychological stress decreased significantly, and physiological reaction thresholds also consistently decreased. By incorporating these findings into crowd simulations, it becomes possible to reproduce dynamic pedestrian behavior and perform advanced flow analysis, which will contribute to future spatial design and the formulation of congestion mitigation strategies.