perry et al. Flashcards
psychology being investigated
- interpersonal distance
- personal space
- empathy
- social hormones- oxytocin
interpersonal distance
the distance between people, such as how close they sit
or stand to each other.
personal space
the invisible boundaries around our bodies that, if crossed,
make us feel uncomfortable
empathy
a person’s ability to understand the thoughts, feelings and
experiences of others.
has 2 dimensions: cognitive and affective
background
- Amygdala
- The amygdala is a brain structure that is involved in processing emotions.
- The amygdala triggers strong emotional reactions following personal space violations, so regulates interpersonal distance
- Oxytocin regulates amygdala activity.
- Lesions to the amygdala reduce the need for interpersonal distance. - Social salience hypothesis
- Oxytocin increases attention to social cues.
- Attentiveness affects how cues are processed and our responses.
- Processing and responses are also affected by social setting
- This explains why some people feel threatened while others feel comfortable in the same social situation.
Perry et al. predicted that preferred interpersonal distance following oxytocin administration may differ depending on whether the person is high or low in
empathy. People with high empathy would prefer closer distance and those with low
empathy.
aim
To investigate the effect of oxytocin on preferred interpersonal distance for those
scoring high or low in empathy traits.
research methods
2 lab experiments, counterbalanced
research design
both exp used mixed designs:
-repeated measures with randomisation: participants took part in 2 conditions, with and without oxytocin, 1 week apart.
-independent measures – whether participants were in the high or low empathy group
data collection techniques
- Questionnaire: the Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used to create the high
and low empathy group scores. Participants with scores
of >40 were assigned to the high empathy group and those with scores of <33 were assigned to the low empathy group - Standardised tests:
-Exp. 1: the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance (CID) paradigm.
– Exp. 2: the ‘choosing rooms’ task
independent variables
- empathy (low or high).
- oxytocin or placebo/saline solution
sample
Size: 54 men.
high empathy: n=20
low empathy: n=20
Demographic: Undergraduates from an Israeli University, 19-32 yrs; five left-handed; all had normal vision and were mentally well.
Sampling technique: volunteer , participating for exchange of course credit or payment provided.
procedure- experiment 1 (CID)
-IV 3: condition (stranger, authority, friend or ball). Repeated
measures.
-DV: preferred interpersonal distance was measured using the CID paradigm. Participants indicated when they wanted the person/object to stop.
A percentage score was given of the remaining distance from the total distance:
0 = figures touching; 100 = furthest distance.
- Participants sat at a computer while 3-second animations displayed showing a figure approaching the centre of a circle.
- Participants shown the name of the approaching figure for 1 second, then a fixation point for 0.5 seconds.
-Participants saw a still picture of a circular room with a figure at the centre and an approaching figure at one of the eight entrances.
- Participants imagined themselves at the centre of the room and pressed the spacebar on the computer keyboard to show when they wanted the figure
(protagonist) to stop
- Each of the four figures appeared three times from each of the eight entrances, resulting in 96 trials in total
experiment 2 (changing rooms)
IV 3: condition – positioning of chairs (experimental) versus
positioning of table and plant (control).
DVs:
1. Mean average preferred distance between the 2 chairs (cm)
2. Mean average preferred angle of the 2 chairs (degrees).
All participants gave preferences for both the chairs and the table and plant. (repeated measures)
-Participants were informed the task was to aid planning a room layout for conversation with another participant on a personal topic.
-They were shown colour pictures of two very similar rooms. Rooms contained identical chairs in the middle, a table and a plant
» 84 pairs of rooms, shown twice. Participants chose the left or right room. Only IV differed on each trial.
-Researchers compared the preferences for the spatial arrangement of the chairs and the table and plant
procedure- before experiments
An online questionnaire was completed for empathy score.
-Three drops of nasal solution (oxytocin or saline) were self administered in the presence of experimenters.
- Participants waited 45 minutes (in a comfortable, quiet room) before further testing. Nature magazines given to reduce social interaction
controls
1.Neither the participant nor the researcher conducting the standardised tests knew whether saline or oxytocin had been administered (double blind design).
- The order of the experiments was counterbalanced.
3.All participants waited 45 mins before starting the experiment after administering a solution.
4.The same 3-second animation was used for all participants.
- Fixation points were used to ensure attention.
