Psychology ETDs

Publication Date

10-5-1970

Abstract

It has been observed by a number of workers that humans tend to maintain some degree of physical distance between themselves and other persons or objects. This "individual distance" (ID) is assumed to reflect an area surrounding the person that he regards as a part of himself, rather like a portable territory; this area is termed "personal space" (PS).

Though there have been several experimental studies of PS in humans, none has determined the test-retest reliability of ID, nor has individual consistency of relative size of ID over a range of situations been investigated. The present study was designed to examine these areas, as well as the relationship of ID to physical size and sex of S.; the degree of familiarity of§. with the person or object approached ("target", or T); and to Drawing Test measures of ID.

24 male and 24 female 18-year-old middle-class Anglo-American Ss were instructed to approach twice a male and a female friend, a male and a female stranger, a male and a female mannequin, and a coatrack. Toe-to-toe distance between Sand! was measured using floor tiles as a grid. Ss were also presented with a booklet containing printed stick figures representing each T, and instructed to draw themselves standing in front of each T, and the distance between the printed and self-figures was measured. Half the Ss did the Approach Test followed by the Drawing Test, half did the tests in the reverse order. Age, height, weight, and arm length were recorded for each S.

The results indicated that ID is a highly reliable measure, and that Ss show significant individual consistency in size of ID, relative to other Ss, across Ts though actual size of ID varies with T. This meant that individual Ss. could be characterized as reliably "Close", "Average", or "Distant" in regard to ID, over a range of Ts.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Britton Kenneth Ruebush

Second Committee Member

Karl Peter Koenig

Third Committee Member

Richard Jerome Harris

Fourth Committee Member

David Wilmot Bessemer

Fifth Committee Member

Ralph David Norman

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

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