Come together: Two studies concerning the impact of group relations on personal space

Abstract

This paper describes two experiments investigating the impact of group relations on personal space. In Study 1, participants (N=39) in minimal groups were told that they would be interacting with another person. In line with expectations, personal space (as measured by the distance between chairs) was significantly less in the intragroup context than in the intergroup and interpersonal contexts. This finding was replicated in Study 2 (N=80) using an improved experimental design. These results are discussed in terms of developing a self-categorization account of personal space and crowding.

Mass action and mundane reality: an argument for putting crowd analysis at the centre of the social sciences

“…And there is much literature to show how people seem to have a clear need for 'personal space' and can be quite literally nauseated when it is violated. But in recent work, we have shown that people seek greater physical proximity with others when they are ingroup members (Novelli et al, 2010). In a set of ongoing but as yet unpublished studies, we also have evidence that people find the touch and stench of other human bodies less disgusting when they are the bodies of ingroup members.…”

Effect of bisphenol A on Drosophila melanogaster behavior – A new model for the studies on neurodevelopmental disorders

“…It is also a common feature in studies using mouse models [66]. Social behavior is the ability of conspecifics to interact, leading to changes in the subsequent behaviors of the individual [67][68][69]. In a social setting, the individual maintains a personal space or a distance from another individual (personal space boundary), but also a spatial proximity to another individual for effective communication [70].…”

The experience of collective participation: shared identity, relatedness and emotionality

“…A number of experimental and interview studies have shown how shared ingroup membership can facilitate intragroup trust, cooperation, a decrease in stress, comfort in close physical proximity, and helping behaviours Novelli, Drury, & Reicher, 2010;Levine, Cassidy, Brazier, & Reicher, 2002; The Prayag Magh Mela Research Group [PMMRG], 2007;Drury, Cocking, & Reicher, 2009). …”