Space/Proxemics Flashcards
3 functions of space
- regulation of conversation
- attitude toward another person (often done unconsciously)
- sign of status (consume a lot of space=high status-big house, big car, big desk, etc.)
Skorjanc (1991) study
subjects interacted with a confederate (Scott) who was introduced as:
-just finished jail sentence for assault with weapon (3.7 seats away)
-just finished jail sentence for counterfitting money (3.3)
-a student (2.5)
If we don’t like someone, keep them far away
Closer space if we like them
3 categories of space
- fixed-feature space
- semi-fixed feature space
- informal or personal space
fixed-feature space
location of physical, unmoveable structures (i.e. seats in the class
semi-fixed feature space
location of moveable objects (ex: table on wheels)
informal or personal space
interpersonal distance
sociopetal vs. sociofugal space
- sociopetal: space is organized so that it is conducive to communication between people
- sociofugal: space is arranged so that it produces solitude, and inhibits interaction between people (i.e. separate, pull apart)
seminar, living room, classroom (student to teacher), seminar room
sociopetal
study area, classroom (student to student)
sociofugal
restaurant
hybrid, both sociopetal and sociofugal
4 regions of proxemics
intimate, personal, social, public
intimate
0-18 inches
feel body heat, lose visual perceptions often
personal
1.5-4 ft
talking to friends, can’t feel body heat, visual and auditory
social
4-12 feet
gaze is important
interacting with strangers, can’t see every detail of people
public
beyond 12 feet
politician giving speech to the masses, does not even have to recognize other people, least nonverbal information available
when space is 0….
touch
Age and space use
- unclear up to age 5 (ex: kids will just run into you)
- space increases 5-17
- initially less space for same sex pairs (ex: cooties)
- later, less space for opposite sex pairs
- sex differences evident as early as age 7
Sex differences in encoding of space
- females maintain closer interpersonal distance than men
- females approach others, especially other females, closer than males will
- males approach other males and other females at the same distance
- females will allow others to approach more closely than males
culture and space
- no universals in space use, experience space differently (psychologically)
- crowding (psychological) vs. density (physical)
- contact (in between both tropics more) vs. noncontact cultures (personal space toward 4 ft space of spectrum, out of arms reach)
- Remland et al (1995) closest: irish, scottish, dutch, greek, italian, french, english: furthest
personality and use of personal space
-preferences for closer space increases with increasing degree of extraversion
-people who are high in social anxiety tend to use longer interacting distance
-people high in need for affiliation use closer interacting distances
-
decoding space: crowding and performance (yerkes-dodson law)
- correlated with density (more dense, more crowding)
- curvalinear relationship between crowding and performance (want middle range)
- close space with strangers is more “crowding” than with friends
- most crowding with male strangers, least with female friends
distance and arousal
- changes in skin conductance
- too close > arousal
- for females, too far also > arousal
- the closer the invasion, the sooner the evacuation (studies-library, street crossing)
restaurant tipping
- waitresses approached patrons seated by themselves in a rest. in France at either .5, 1.5, or 2.5 feet
- 478 customers (287 M, 191 F)
- a great percentage of customers in the close condition left a tip
- customers in the close condition left higher tips than in the other two conditions
threats of violence
- imagine a heated argument scenario
- what cues would suggest imminent violence?
- # 1: assuming a boxers stance (posture)
- # 2: invasion of personal space
- not much culture/ethnic differences
Intimacy Equilibrium Theory
- people are subject to two motivations in interpersonal interactions (ex: teeter totter)
1. ) being intimate (approach)
2. ) stay separate (avoid) - balance between these two motivations is a point of equilibrium
- if one persons behavior upsets this equilibrium, the other will compensate
arousal labeling theory
- close distance creates arousal in decoder
- if this arousal is labeled positively decoder will approach (reciprocate)
- if this arousal is labeled negatively, the decoder will avoid (compensate)
