The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1 - 61

COLLEGE RESIDENCE HALLS pose a threat for a catastrophic
event in the case of ﬁre, but little research has examined
potential inﬂuences on students' responses to ﬁre alarms,
particularly the role of social inﬂuence in affecting their
behaviors. In the current study, residence hall inhabitants
reported their knowledge about ﬁre safety, their past
behaviors in responding to alarms, and their likelihood
of engaging in different behaviors in response to future
alarms. Results showed that one-quarter of participants
reported ignoring alarms, which also affected predictions
of future behaviors. All participants indicated a high
likelihood of surveying others' behaviors in response to
alarms, showing the potential for social inﬂuence to play a
role in evacuation.

If groups of people
participate in
non-evacuation
behaviors during
ﬁre alarms, others
may interpret the
lack of urgency
as an indicator of

"Social action, just like physical action, is steered by perception."
- Kurt Lewin
Lewin suggested that perception guides social action; that is,
people's social behavior can be inﬂuenced by expectation or prior
experiences. This holds especially true during emergency situations when the appropriate course of action is ambiguous. The
main focus of this exploratory study is to investigate the perceptions of college resident hall inhabitants concerning ﬁre alarms and
what impacts their decisions to evacuate when alarms are sounded.

a non-threatening
situation through
the effects
of pluralistic
ignorance.

A tragic reminder of the dangers of ﬁres occurred in 2003 at
a Rhode Island nightclub. The band Great White used unauthorized pyrotechnics that engulfed a crowded audience at 'The Station'
(McGrevy, 2007). This ﬁre killed over 100 people and injured
dozens of others. Many concertgoers did not recognize the presence of three other potential exits from the nightclub, and instead
followed the crowd, becoming trapped when the rush of people attempting to evacuate blocked the main exit.
More recently, in early 2013, over 230 people died in a devastating ﬁre at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil. Media reports
suggested that people were disoriented by the smoke and blindly
followed others, only to become trapped inside the club (Darlington,
V O L U M E 4 3 , NO. 1 * 2 0 1 6

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1

Contents
The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1 - Intro
The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1 - Cover1
The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 1 - Cover2
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