If interpersonal spacing is a component of sex-role development, then gender identity development may partly mediate age and sex differences in personal space, as well as variations in distances due to the sex of the stimulus person. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate this possibility. Personal space preferences of 36 male and…

Results of study of 256 adolescents and preadolescents randomly assigned to same-sex grade-level pairs in two social situations--a neutral situation and a "male-appropriate" athletic situation-- showed no differences between sexes in overall amount of touching or proxemics, though girls smiled significantly more often than males. (CMG)

The results of this study indicate that the relative relations between a child's sex and body type and the interpersonal distance used toward him remain stable from kindergarten through sixth grade. (JMB)

Examined was the relationship between personal space and sex roles. Feminine females (N=25), androgynous females (N=25) and masculine males (N=25) viewed a film of male and female approaching stimulus persons in distress and non-distress conditions. Subjects marked the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Scale at the point where they would prefer…

A study assessed whether space violations of women occur even when women do not yield their space, and further examined who violated the space of women when it was violated. Two persons of average height and weight (either a male-male, male-female, or female-female combination) were positioned across from each other in a busy hallway such that…

This study assessed personal space schemata of children towards stimulus figures representing male and female body build stereotypes. Greater spatial distances were used towards the Endomorph than other physique types and significant sex differences were found. (GO)

The effects of crowding and sex on reactions to a side-to-side invasion of personal space were examined. Male or female experimenters violated the personal space of 40 male and 40 female subjects who were sitting at library tables that were either crowded (several persons present) or uncrowded (subjects sat alone). The subjects' body movements,…

Empirical evidence indicates that intrusions into an individual's personal space may produce anxiety and defensive or avoidance behaviors which might be reduced when conversation occurs between interactants. This paper briefly presents two field experiments designed to investigate this possibility. The first study hypothesized that invasion of…

A study compared the personal space preference (PSP) of 13 high school students with visual disabilities who attended a state school for students with blindness and 13 typical high schoolers. Results found that the male adolescents with visual disabilities chose a smaller PSP than did their male counterparts. (CR)

Significant differences were found on measures of personal space gathered from 74 3-, 5-, and 7-year-olds when they approached boys or girls of their own age. Three-year-olds kept less distance than 5- or 7-year-olds and all subjects kept less distance from girls than boys. (JMB)

Daters had a greater need for the partner to support their own body build concept than for the partner to match their body build concept. Males had distorted perceptions of the endomorphy component in self and date. Females had very accurate self-perceptions. (Author)

This annotated bibliography focuses on the sex differences and similarities in two proxemic variables, physical distance and orientation of the body. The majority of the more than 90 titles, dating from 1965 to the present, are selected from the following sources: dissertation abstracts, social-psychology journals, communication journals, and…

Investigated possible differences in seating preferences due to gender. Found, among other results, that males and females preferred different seating patterns when interacting with males in a task-oriented setting. Discusses results in terms of communication functions: defining intimacy, creating gender roles, and allocating status within…

Examines five issues related to females as mentors in higher education: self-disclosure and personal boundaries, nurturing, female authority, conflict and competition, and hierarchy. Considers these issues central to understanding the difficulties women have in the mentoring process. (SK)

Data from 431 children in grades 3-10 on a personal space task were pooled into 4 sex-age groups and separately factor analyzed. (Authors)