Perry et. al (Personal Space) Flashcards
Psychology Being Investigated
- Interpersonal Distance (Personal Space)
- Empathy
- Social Hormone (Oxytocin)
Aim
Investigating how oxytocin affects preferred interpersonal distance for those scoring high or low in empathy traits.
Experimental Setup
- Laboratory Setup
- Controlled Extraneous Variable
Experimental Design
- Mixed/ Repeated Design
- Randomized Order to Avoid Order Effects
Type of Randomized Control Used
- Double-blind Design
- For both Oxytocin and Placebo
Number of Experiments Conducted
- Two
- CID
- Choosing Room
Independent Variable
- Empathy: low or high
- Treatment: oxytocin or placebo
Condition in Experiment 1
Strangers, Authority, Figure, Friend, or Ball
Dependent Variable in Experiment 1
Preferred Interpersonal Space
Condition in Experiment 2
Experimental Group: Position of Chairs
Control Condition: Positioning of Table and Plant.
Dependent Variable in Experiment 2
Mean average preferred distance between chairs (cm).
Mean average preferred angle of
chairs (degrees).
Types of Psychometric Tests Used
Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)
Sample
- 56 Male Undergraduates
- University of Haifa, Israel
- Aged 19-32
- Received Course Credit or Payment for Participation
- 5 Left-handed
- No History of Psychiatric or Neurological Disorder,
- Normal or Corrected-to-Normal Eyesight
Procedure of Oxytocin Administration and Empathy Assessment
- Participants visited the laboratory twice, a week apart, at the same time.
- First visit: Randomly given oxytocin (24 units in 250 ml saline) or placebo (250 ml saline without oxytocin).
- Self-administered three droplets to each nostril.
- Following week: Administered the alternative solution.
- Completed empathy questionnaire (IRI) after administration.
- Waited for 45 minutes in a quiet room with nature magazines to stabilize oxytocin levels.
Procedure for Experiment 1: CID Paradigm
- Computer animation measuring preferred interpersonal distance.
- Displayed words (friend, stranger, authority, ball) for one second.
- Participant fixated on a point for 0.5 seconds.
- Circular room animation: Protagonist enters from one of eight doors, approaches the center.
- Participant pressed spacebar to stop protagonist.
- 96 trials, each protagonist appeared three times from each door.
- Interpersonal distance calculated as a percentage from 0% to 100%, low score = close proximity, high score = farther proximity.
Procedure for Experiment 2: Choosing Rooms
- Participants told about a meeting to discuss personal topics in a room according to preferences.
- Computer program showed color images of room pairs with slight differences in chair, table, and plant angles/distances.
- 84 pairs shown twice (168 pairs in total).
- Participants, 60 cm from the screen, viewed each pair for 2 seconds, fixated on a point for 0.5 seconds between pairs.
- Chose between left or right room.
- Experimental conditions: Distance and angle of chairs; Control conditions: Distance and angle of table and plant (one variable differed per trial).
Results of Experiment 1: CID for High Empathy Group
- Placebo: Preferred mean distance - 26.11%.
- Oxytocin: Preferred mean distance - 23.29%.
- Significant difference between friend and authority, friend and stranger in placebo.
- Oxytocin: Participants closer to the ball than stranger or authority.
Results of Experiment 1: CID for Low Empathy Group
- Placebo: Preferred mean distance - 26.98%.
- Oxytocin: Preferred mean distance - 30.20%.
- Small difference.
- No significant differences in placebo; oxytocin: Closer to the ball than stranger or authority.
Results of Experiment 2: Choosing Rooms for High Empathy Group
- Oxytocin condition: Closer chair distances (80.58 cm) compared to placebo (78.07 cm).
- Oxytocin effect on preferred chair distance approaching significance.
Results of Experiment 2: Choosing Rooms for Low Empathy Group
- Oxytocin condition: Chair distances - 78.33 cm (vs. 80.14 cm in placebo).
- No significant oxytocin effect on chair angle for both groups.
Conclusions
- Influences preferred interpersonal distance.
- High Empathy Individuals: Prefers closer distances, contrasting with low empathy individuals.
- Low Empathy Individuals: Increases preferred distance, indicating an empathy-dependent modulation by oxytocin.
- Oxytocin’s impact is more pronounced in highly empathetic individuals.
- Notably effective in less threatening interactions, exemplified by the ball protagonist.
- Limited effect observed with the stranger or authority figure.
Ethical Issues
- Weakness
- Deception
- Experiment 2 involved misleading participants about choosing a room for a personal meeting.
- Potential anxiety caused by undisclosed personal topics raised concerns about psychological harm.
Reliability
- Strength
- High standardization through computer-controlled timings, speeds, and visuals enhances reliability.
- Procedure’s replicability improves reliability for studying oxytocin and empathy effects.
Validity: CID Paradigm
- Strength
- High standardization through computer-controlled timings, speeds, and visuals enhances reliability.
- Procedure’s replicability improves reliability for studying oxytocin and empathy effects.
Validity: Double-Blind Technique
- Strength
- Use of a double-blind procedure for oxytocin or placebo administration is a strength.
Minimizes experimenter effects and demand characteristics, enhancing validity.
Validity: Self-Reports
- Weakness
- Reliance on self-report for empathy categorization (IRI).
- Potential social desirability bias may be present.
Objectivity & Subjectivity
- Strength
- Using quantitative data (Experiment 1).
- Objective measurement of percentage distance remaining enhances validity.
Generalizability
- Weakness
- Limitation with only male participants may affect generalizability.
- Gender differences in oxytocin response may restrict applicability to females.
Generalizing to Everyday Life
- Weakness
- Ecological validity is compromised due to computer-based tasks in a lab setting.
- Lack of genuine discomfort in simulated social situations may minimize differences between control and oxytocin conditions, potentially not reflecting real-life preferences.
Individual vs. Situational Explanations
- Oxytocin’s impact on social cognition and behavior varies with individual differences.
- Decreases preferred interpersonal distance in high empathy, increases for low empathy.
- Findings support both individual and situational explanations for behavior following oxytocin administration.
- Oxytocin effects on interpersonal distance are predictable and influenced by environmental factors such as socializing, touch, and eye contact.
Application to Everyday Life
- Social Behavior Improvement:
— Oxytocin administration may not benefit individuals with social deficits, like autism spectrum disorders.
— Previous expectations of oxytocin aiding those with social deficits might not be accurate.
-Effects on Social Distance:
— Oxytocin, administered to low empathy individuals, slightly increased their preferred social distance.
— Oxytocin might not be suitable for males with social disorders and could reinforce social biases.
- Replication Necessity:
— Study replication with females is essential to ascertain if similar effects are observed.
