Response to intrusion into waiting lines.

08/01/2025 | PAXIS Institute |

This research explored the relation between the unique spatial configuration of the queue and the means by which its integrity is defended. Following Mann (1969), the queue is viewed as a social system susceptible to experimental analysis. Confederates intruded themselves into 129 naturally occurring waiting lines; the defensive reactions of the queuers were noted. Queuers following the point of intrusion were more likely to object than those who preceded it; two intruders provoked more reaction than a single intruder; and buffers (passive confederates standing in line) dampened the queue’s response to the intruders. The results suggest that the underlying structure of the queue is composed of replicated segments and that defense of the queue is local rather than systemic.

Citation: Milgram S, Liberty HJ, Toledo R, & Wackenhut J. 1986. Response to intrusion into waiting lines. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 683-689.

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