Perry et al (personal space) Flashcards
what is the psychology being investigated in perry et al
1) interpersonal distance/personal space
this is the relative distance between two people in social setups. It is the area of space around a person in which they prefer others not to enter
2)Empathy
this is the ability to imagine another person’s thoughts , feelings and intentions and respond appropriately
3) Social hormones
Oxytocin is a social hormone that interacts with empathy to create a differential effect on personal space
What is the background perry
Interpersonal Distance in Social Interactions – Prior studies highlighted that interpersonal distance plays a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of social interactions. This distance serves as an important cue signalling comfort and responsiveness in social settings
Hall introduced the idea of interpersonal distance and propesed four zones of space
intimate
personal
social
public
what is the aim in the study by Perry
To test the differential effect of Oxytocin on high empathisers compared to low empathisers
What is the sample in the study by perry
-54 male undergraduates from the university of Haifa
-Aged between 19-32 years
-Mean age of 25.29 years
-They were given incentive in the form of course credit/payment
-5 ss were left handed
-They all had normal vision and no history of psychiatric or neurological disorder
what is the experimental method in the study by perry
Lab experiment because it is happening in an artificial setting with strict controls over extraneous variables
what is the experimental design in the study by perry
Both independent and repeated measures
what is the iv in the study by perry
-OT
-Empathy
-Cognition
what is the dv in the study by perry
-Personal space
What are the controls and standardization the study by perry
Double blind technique ,
both the ss and the experimenter did not know whether the subject got OT or a placebo -saline solution.This helped to minimise demand characteristics from the ss and experimenter bias
Counterbalancing,
the order of the experiments were counterbalanced , the ss were divided into two halves
In the choosing rooms experiment 2 the images of the room were shown for a standard 2 seconds to all the ss
-All the images were computer generates for maximum accuracy and consistency
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How was counterbalancing done in the study by Perry
The ss were split into two halves
Half 1 took OT on the first week followed by a placebo (saline solution) on the second
Half 2 took a placebo (saline solution) on the first week followed by OT on the second
What is the OT administration procedure in the study by perry
In week 1 ss were randomly administered either
1)250ml of Intranasal OT 3 drops , each self administered by a medicine dropper
2) An equivalent saline solution taken from a salt solution that was used to dissolve OT but without the OT
What is the assessment of empathy procedure in the study by Perry
Right after the OT administration participants completed an online Interpersonal Reactivity Index IRI
After completing the questionnaires ss were given nature magazines and were put in a quiet waiting room for 45 min to allow the OT to be absorbed into the central nervous system and to minimise interactions
how were participants allocated to low/high empathy groups
Based on the results of the IRI
High empathy group had 20 participants with an IRI score of over 40
Low empathy - 20 participants with an IRI score of under 33
What is the experiment 1 (comfortable interpersonal distance paradigm experiment) procedure in the study by Perry
-Here a circle was presented on a computer screen
-Participants were instructed to imagine themselves in the centre of the circle with another person (protagonist) approaching them along a radius
-The task was for the participant to indicate by pressing the keyboard spacebar at the point along the radius where they would like the person to stop
The computerised animators provided options for 4 protagonists approaching the person at the centre of the circle;
-A rolling ball
-A close friend
-Authority figure e.g teacher
-Stranger
The animation stopped when the protagonist collided with the person at the centre or when the ss pressed the spacebar to stop the protagonist.
How was personal space measured/calculated in the study by Perry
Personal space was measured by calculating the percentage of the remaining distance from the total distance
rd-td
How many trials were there for experiment one (Comfortable interpersonal distance)
There were 24 trails for each protagonist and a total of 96 trials
Explain experiment 2 - choosing rooms in the study by Perry
SS were told that after doing two rounds of OT administration that they would be asked to sit in a room with another participant to discuss personal topics
SS were informed that they were going to be shown pairs of similar rooms and for each trial choose the one room they prefer
They were told that this info would be used to design a room based on their preference
The goal for this experiment was to investigate whether OT would prepare ss to chose a room with a particular arrangement
Explain the control condition condition in the choosing rooms experiment from the study by Perry
This was the preferred distance between the table and plant
a)Distance between the table and plant
200-320 cm with intervals of 20cm
b)Angle of the table and plant position
0℃ = both facing fowards
45℃ =
90℃ = table opposite the plant
What were the 6 computerized stimuli (the items) that were shown in the choosing rooms experiment in the study by Perry
-2 identical chairs
-A table on one side
-A cupboard
-A plant
-A lamp
-A clock
they were all colored
How many pairs of table-plant and chair distances were there in the study by Perry
21 different pairs of table-plant distances , 21 different pairs of chair distances and 3 options for each pair of angles repeated 7 times to equal 21 pairs of comparative angles
How was personal space computed in the study by Perry
by calculating the mean preferred distance between the chairs and the mean preferred distance between table and plant
also the mean preferred distance between furnitures was also calculated
Explain the experimental condition in the choosing rooms experiment from the study by Perry
This was the preferred distance between the chairs
a)Distance between the chairs 20-140cm within intervals of 20 cm
b)Angle of the chairs position
0℃=both facing forward (sitting side by side)
45℃
90℃ = chairs facing each other
What are the results in the study by Perry
What are the strengths of the study by Perry
- High internal validity-
strict controls over extraneous variables - High reliability of data-
bcoz of a highly standardized procedure, researches were able to gather CONSISTENT data from ss to ss. Examples: - Quantitative data-
gathered in the form of of mean preferred distance between the ss and the protagonist, this helped researchers to compare the differential effect of OT on preferred distance between high empathizers and low empathizes
What are the weaknesses in the study by Perry
- Low ecological validity-
a lab based study, standardization and controls that limits the dynamics of real life - Low generalizability- data was obtained from an all male sample, so researchers should be careful generalizing data to females
• Ethics-
Breach of Right to Withdraw:
giving incentives in the form of post credit payment, they were committed to the research by payment.
Deception:
Choosing rooms were a form of deception as ss were shown pairs of similar rooms and were asked to pick one they preferred and were then told that their choice would be used to design a room according to their preferences. Ss were also told that the rooms were to be used to discuss personal topics, however they did not get to discuss any personal topic.
- Low validity of quantitative data
Ss could not explain their responses for their preferred personal space, lowering validity of quantitative data gathered
Why is the study from the social approach
Behaviour of preferred interpersonal distance is influenced by characteristics of the protagonist.This is consistent with the assumption that our behaviour can be influenced by other people
What were the results for experiment 1 CID- comfortable interpersonal distance
There were differences found between preferred distances between stranger , authority , ball and friend across all trials.
Mean distance for ;
stranger - 39.72%
Friend - 12.46%
authority - 34.12%
Ball - 20.20%
What were the results for experiment 2 ; choosing rooms experiment
for the preferred interpersonal distance between chairs in the study by Perry
Participants in the high empathy group chose closer chair distances following OT administration than Placebo administration
While participants in the Low empathy group chose further chair distances following OT administration than placebo administration.
High empathy group;
OT grp- 78.07cm
Control grp - 80.58cm (more distance)
Low empathy group
OT grp - 80.14cm
Control grp - 78.33cm
What were the results for OT administration and preferred distance in the study by Perry
OT was found to decrease the mean preferred distance from participant to other in the high empathy group but had the opposite effect in the low empathy group.
The findings suggests that the administration of OT has a differential effect rather than the same effect on high and low empathisers.
High empathy group ;
OT group = 23.9%
Control group = 26.11%
Low empathy group ;
OT group= 30.20%
Control group = 26.98%
What were the conclusions of the study by Perry
- OT enhances social cues in opposite ways for individuals with different empathetic abilities. This supports the idea of social salience, which is the idea that we pay attention to cues from other ppl such as body language,
interpersonal distance, expressions- in order to enhance social interactions. - The results confirmed the findings of previous personal space research (eg.
Edward T Hall) that ppl need less distance between themselves and their close friends than they need with strangers
Results for preferred distance between
stranger , ball etc after OT administration
What is the social salience theory
oxytocin affects preferred interpersonal space by increasing our responses to social cUes.this could affect different people in different ways might enhance somebody’s outgoing nature while making somebody else anxious
features of the IRI interpersonal reactivity index
28 item online questionnaire
High empathy group scored 40 and higher
low empathy group scored 33 and lower
What results show how OT affects preference of chair distance for low empathy people
OT increased preferred chair distance in the low empathy group 78.33 vs 80.14cm
What results show how OT affects preference of chair distance for high empathy people
OT decreased preferred chair distance in the high empathy group 80.58 vs 78.07cm
Was social salience theory supported
Yes, OT did not affect distance or angle between table and plant hence proving that it only affects social contexts
individual vs situational - perry
nature vs nurture - perry
