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The article is on the recreation of the image of Chan master Huineng in four English translations of the Platform Sutra through the choice of personal pronouns. Adopting SysConc as analytical tool, the study looks at the use of personal pronouns and the image of Huineng recreated in each translation. In Wong (1930a), the use of we in combination with you presents Huineng as both friendly and authoritative; in Heng (1977b), Huineng tends to avoid personal pronouns and seems to be detached; in Cleary (1998b), Huineng is more involved in the interaction and uses many I's as well as you; in Cheng (2011), Huineng speaks in an elegant way and uses generic one as personal reference. It is argued that both the choices of personal pronouns and the images of Huineng recreated can be better understood in terms of the context of translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal space refers to a protective barrier that we strive to maintain around our body. We examined personal space regulation in young people with Williams syndrome (WS) and their typically developing, chronological age-matched peers using a parent report questionnaire and a stop-distance paradigm. Individuals with WS were reported by their parents to be more likely to violate the personal space of others, and indeed they maintained a shorter interpersonal distance in the stop-distance paradigm. Interestingly, WS individuals failed to regulate their personal space based on the familiarity of the person they were interacting with. Findings are discussed in relation to the wider social profile associated with WS, and the possible impact of atypical personal space regulation on social vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted 2 experiments to explore whether or not the perception of interpersonal distance affects interpersonal psychological distance. Experiment 1 (N = 60) involved a mixed design examination of the relationship between distance perception (near vs. far) and gender consistency (consistent vs. inconsistent). The results showed that the figure at a near distance was perceived as being significantly more favorable than that of the figure at a far distance. Experiment 2 (N = 59) used a single-factor randomized design to investigate differences in stimulus size. The results showed that the size did not affect favorability evaluations. Our finding that a near interpersonal distance perception reduced interpersonal psychological distance supports both construal level theory and embodied cognition theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People feel uncomfortable when someone else comes spatially near and thus encroaches on their personal space (PS). Although many social psychologists have explored characteristics of PS of/between/among individuals so far, there is currently no empirical research on whether the PS of individuals expands into space surrounding their belongings (or objects) that are away from their body. This study measured the spatial distance between bags which participants and confederates left behind, and thus demonstrated that the distance between bags was modulated in response to the interpersonal relationship of their owners. The present study suggests new evidence for expansive PS, which is the concept that an individual’s PS expands into space surrounding his/her belongings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing as a lens the interpersonal implications of physical interpersonal distances in social contexts (a set of variables present during the professional discourse during the 1960s and 1970s, to then fade away), this article explores interactive process displayed by the protagonic couple in Bela Bartok's opera 'Bluebeard Castle,' an exercise aimed at underlining the value of maintaining proxemics as an explicit level of observation for clinical practice and interpersonal research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What determines how close you choose to stand to someone? Why do some people prefer farther distances than others? We hypothesized that an important factor is one's sensory sensitivity level, i.e. how sensitive one is to nearby visual stimulation, noise, touch or smell. This study characterizes the behavioral, hormonal and electrophysiological metrics of interpersonal distance (IPD) preferences in relation to levels of sensory sensitivity. Using both an ecologically realistic task and electroencephalogram (EEG), we found that sensory sensitivity levels predicted IPD preferences, such that the more sensitive one is the farther distance they prefer. Furthermore, electrophysiological evidence revealed that individuals with higher sensory sensitivity show more alpha suppression for approaching stimuli, strengthening the notion that early sensory cortical excitability is involved in one's social decision of how close to stand to another. The results provide evidence that a core human metric of social interaction is influenced by individual levels of sensory sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans maintain distance from others in their interpersonal interactions and this has been documented in previous research in real-world scenarios. However, thanks to telecommunication technologies, humans are also interacting online with each other. While individuals are competent in adjusting their interpersonal distance based on their own preferences and others' considerations in a real-world situation, they might not be as competent in their online interactions. The aim of the current study is twofold: a) to investigate individuals' preferred distance from a camera both for themselves and others while in an online interaction, and b) to test whether individual differences in pathogen sensitivity influence their preferred distances in an online interaction. Participants (N = 159) were asked to indicate their comfort distance from a camera for themselves and others while interacting in an online scenario. The distance from the camera varied systematically from 50 cm to 200 cm. Results showed that participants preferred to stand 80 cm–120 cm from a camera. As for the avatars that the participants viewed online, men and women preferred female avatars to stand between 80 cm and 130 cm from a camera, and male avatars to stand between 80 cm and 150 cm from a camera. And although the chances of contracting a disease online is zero, we found that germ aversion and concern about contracting COVID-19 were associated with the preferred distances from the camera. We attribute this result to a false positive error in social cognition. • Preferred distance for an online interaction begins around 80 cm from camera. • Both men and women have similar distance preferences for their online interactions. • Individuals with higher germ aversion preferred larger distances. • This later suggests a false positive error in social cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct gaze and interpersonal proximity are known to lead to changes in psycho-physiology, behaviour and brain function. We know little, however, about subtler facial reactions such as rise and fall in temperature, which may be sensitive to contextual effects and functional in social interactions. Using thermal infrared imaging cameras 18 female adult participants were filmed at two interpersonal distances (intimate and social) and two gaze conditions (averted and direct). The order of variation in distance was counterbalanced: half the participants experienced a female experimenter’s gaze at the social distance first before the intimate distance (a socially ‘normal’ order) and half experienced the intimate distance first and then the social distance (an odd social order). At both distances averted gaze always preceded direct gaze. We found strong correlations in thermal changes between six areas of the face (forehead, chin, cheeks, nose, maxilliary and periorbital regions) for all experimental conditions and developed a composite measure of thermal shifts for all analyses. Interpersonal proximity led to a thermal rise, but only in the ‘normal’ social order. Direct gaze, compared to averted gaze, led to a thermal increase at both distances with a stronger effect at intimate distance, in both orders of distance variation. Participants reported direct gaze as more intrusive than averted gaze, especially at the intimate distance. These results demonstrate the powerful effects of another person’s gaze on psycho-physiological responses, even at a distance and independent of context.

Background During threat, interpersonal distance is deliberately increased. Personal space regulation is related to amygdala function and altered in schizophrenia, but it remains unknown whether it is particularly associated with paranoid threat. Methods We compared performance in two tests on personal space between 64 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 24 matched controls. Patients were stratified in those with paranoid threat, neutral affect or paranoid experience of power. In the stop-distance paradigm, participants indicated the minimum tolerable interpersonal distance. In the fixed-distance paradigm, they indicated the level of comfort at fixed interpersonal distances. Results Paranoid threat increased interpersonal distance two-fold in the stop-distance paradigm, and reduced comfort ratings in the fixed-distance paradigm. In contrast, patients experiencing paranoid power had high comfort ratings at any distance. Patients with neutral affect did not differ from controls in the stop-distance paradigm. Differences between groups remained when controlling for gender and positive symptom severity. Among schizophrenia patients, the stop-distance paradigm detected paranoid threat with 93% sensitivity and 83% specificity. Conclusions Personal space regulation is not generally altered in schizophrenia. However, state paranoid experience has distinct contributions to personal space regulation. Subjects experiencing current paranoid threat share increased safety-seeking behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively little is known about the influence of psychosocial factors, such as familial role modeling and social network on the development and maintenance of childhood obesity. We investigated peer selection using an immersive virtual reality environment. In a virtual schoolyard, children were confronted with normal weight and overweight avatars either eating or playing. Fifty-seven children aged 7–13 participated. Interpersonal distance to the avatars, child's BMI, self-perception, eating behavior and parental BMI were assessed. Parental BMI was the strongest predictor for the children's minimal distance to the avatars. Specifically, a higher mothers' BMI was associated with greater interpersonal distance and children approached closer to overweight eating avatars. A higher father's BMI was associated with a lower interpersonal distance to the avatars. These children approached normal weight playing and overweight eating avatar peers closest. The importance of parental BMI for the child's social approach/avoidance behavior can be explained through social modeling mechanisms. Differential effects of paternal and maternal BMI might be due to gender specific beauty ideals. Interventions to promote social interaction with peer groups could foster weight stabilization or weight loss in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's perceptions are often distorted in a way that aligns with their desires and goals. We argue that having a goal to affiliate changes the perception of interpersonal distance in a way that may help to fulfil this affiliation goal. As other people are goal-relevant when having an affiliation goal, we expected that people with affiliation goals would estimate the distance between themselves and another person as smaller than people with no affiliation goals. In two studies, we manipulated affiliation goals by priming participants with affiliation or control words. Our main dependent variable was the estimated interpersonal distance between themselves and the experimenter. Results showed that participants primed with affiliation estimated the interpersonal distance as smaller compared with participants primed with control words. We did not obtain reliable differences between the affiliation and control conditions on other distance and height estimations. Our results suggest that having or not having affiliation goals influences people's perception of the distance between them and other people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inherent feature of social interactions is the use of social space or interpersonal distance—the space between one individual and another. Because social deficits are core symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we hypothesized that individuals on this spectrum will exhibit abnormal interpersonal distance preferences. The literature on interpersonal distance in ASD is not conclusive. While some studies show preferences for closer distances among this group, others show preferences for farther distances than controls. A common symptom of ASD that may explain the variance in responses to interpersonal distance in this population is social anxiety (SA), which has been shown to correlate with interpersonal distance preferences. In the current study, we investigated interpersonal distance preferences in a group of individuals with ASD using both behavioral and ERP measures. We found greater variance in interpersonal distance preferences in the ASD group than in the control group. Furthermore, we showed that this variance can be explained by differences in SA level and can be predicted by the N1 amplitude, an early ERP component related to attention and discrimination processes. These results hint at the early sensory and attentional processes that may be affecting higher social behaviors, both in subclinical and in clinical populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes how teens represent themselves through their profile photographs on a popular nonymous chat site. Using visual content analysis methods, we analyzed 400 profile photographs, controlling for the self-reported gender and the apparent race of the photographic subject. The analysis finds significant differences in gaze, posture, dress, and distance from the camera according to gender and race, although racial differences are stronger for boys than for girls. To a surprising extent, the findings mirror previous findings of gender and race differences in face-to-face interaction, suggesting that the teens construe their profile images as invitations to interact with others online. At the same time, their photo choices reproduce culturally dominant ideologies of gender and race as reinforced by mass media images. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Psychopathy is characterized by callous-unemotional traits, such as reduced empathy and remorse, and a tendency toward deviant interpersonal behaviors. It has been suggested that subtle behavioral cues in individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits may betray their personality during interpersonal interactions, but little research has addressed what these clues might be. In this study, we investigated whether psychopathic traits predict interpersonal distance preferences, which have been previously linked to amygdala functioning. Forty-six healthy participants performed a behavioral task in which the distance they preferred to maintain between themselves and an experimenter was measured across a series of trials. Psychopathic traits, including Coldheartedness, Fearless Dominance, and Self-centered Impulsivity were assessed using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). Results demonstrated that Coldheartedness predicted preferred interpersonal distance, with more coldhearted participants preferring shorter distances. These findings suggest that interpersonal distance preferences may signal psychopathic traits, particularly callousness, supporting accounts of amygdala dysfunction in psychopathy.

The space between people, or ‘interpersonal distance’, creates and defines the dynamics of social interactions and is a salient cue signaling responsiveness and feeling comfortable. This distance is implicit yet clearly felt, especially if someone stands closer or farther away than expected. Increasing evidence suggests that Oxytocin (OT) serves as a social hormone in humans, and that one of its roles may be to alter the perceptual salience of social cues. Considering that empathic ability may shape the way individuals process social stimuli, we predicted that OT will differentially affect preferred interpersonal distance depending on individual differences in empathy. Participants took part in two interpersonal distance experiments: In the first, they had to stop a (computer visualized) protagonist when feeling most comfortable; in the second, they were asked to choose the room in which they would later discuss intimate topics with another. Both experiments revealed an interaction between the effect of OT and empathy level. Among highly empathic individuals, OT promoted the choice of closer interpersonal distances. Yet, OT had an opposite effect on individuals with low empathic traits. We conclude that the enhancement of social cues following OT administration may have opposite effects on individuals with different empathic abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors examined the preferred interpersonal distances of individuals with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Study participants were 151 male war veterans, of whom 83 were suffering from PTSD and 68 were not suffering from PTSD symptoms (control group). Personal space was assessed using a stop-distance technique, where male and female research assistants approached the participants from four directions. Participants with PTSD preferred significantly larger interpersonal distances than did the control group. Participants in both groups maintained larger interpersonal distances when approached by a man than by a woman. The PTSD participants preferred the greatest interpersonal distance when approached from behind, whereas the control group preferred the greatest distance when approached frontally. The authors found these results to be consistent with the self-protective function of personal space. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined the effects of the numbers of players involved in small-sided team games (underloading and overloading) on opportunities for maintaining ball possession, shooting at goal and passing to teammates during training. These practice constraint manipulations were assumed to alter values of key performance variables identified in previous research, such as interpersonal distances between players and time to intercept shots and passes. Fifteen male soccer players (age: 19.60±1.99 years) were grouped into three teams and played against each other in different versions of small-sided soccer games, in which the number of players was manipulated in three different conditions: 5 vs. 5, 5 vs. 4 and 5 vs. 3. Dependent variables were the values of interpersonal distance between an outfield attacker and nearest defender (ID), and the relative distance of a defender needed to intercept the trajectory of a shot (RDishot) or pass (RDipass). Statistical analyses revealed that mean ID values were significantly lower in 5 vs. 5 than in 5 vs. 4 and 5 vs. 3 conditions, and significantly lower in 5 vs. 4 than 5 vs. 3. They also revealed that mean values of RDishot were significantly higher in 5 vs. 3 than in 5 vs. 5 conditions. Finally, results showed that the mean values of RDipass were significantly higher in 5 vs. 3 than in 5 vs. 5. Findings pass revealed how task constraints in SSGs can be manipulated to vary values of key spatial and temporal performance variables (interpersonal distance and time to intercept) to influence the nature of interpersonal interactions between competing players during practice. We observed that these manipulations tended to decrease opportunities for maintaining ball possession during training when equal numbers of attackers and defenders existed in SSGs, and led to more shots and passes emerging when the number of defenders was decreased relative to attackers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our study of cognitive dissonance 59 students adjusted their physical proximity with an opposing other to manage dissonance. Participants wrote a counterattitudinal essay (vs. proattitudinal), then each of them was told he/she had to discuss the topic with another student who was against the current topic (vs. in favor of). While the experimenter allegedly fetched the other student the participant set up the room by installing 2 chairs. The distance between the 2 chairs was used to measure the proximity with the other. The results showed that in the dissonance condition participants set greater physical proximity when the other disagreed with their initial attitude and less physical proximity when the other was supportive of their initial attitude. We suggest further research is conducted to confirm the use of proximity as a means of dissonance reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Direct gaze and interpersonal proximity are known to lead to changes in psycho-physiology, behavior and brain function. We know little, however, about subtler facial reactions such as rise and fall in temperature, which may be sensitive to contextual effects and functional in social interactions. Using thermal infrared imaging cameras 18 female adult participants were filmed at two interpersonal distances (intimate and social) and two gaze conditions (averted and direct). The order of variation in distance was counterbalanced: half the participants experienced a female experimenter's gaze at the social distance first before the intimate distance (a socially "normal" order) and half experienced the intimate distance first and then the social distance (an odd social order). At both distances averted gaze always preceded direct gaze. We found strong correlations in thermal changes between six areas of the face (forehead, chin, cheeks, nose, maxilliary, and periorbital regions) for all experimental conditions and developed a composite measure of thermal shifts for all analyses. Interpersonal proximity led to a thermal rise, but only in the "normal" social order. Direct gaze, compared to averted gaze, led to a thermal increase at both distances with a stronger effect at intimate distance, in both orders of distance variation. Participants reported direct gaze as more intrusive than averted gaze, especially at the intimate distance. These results demonstrate the powerful effects of another person's gaze on psycho-physiological responses, even at a distance and independent of context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychopathy is characterized by callous and unemotional personality traits, such as reduced empathy and remorse, and a tendency toward deviant interpersonal behaviors. It has been suggested that subtle behavioral cues in individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits may betray their personality during interpersonal interactions, but little research has addressed what these clues might be. In this study, we investigated whether psychopathic traits predict interpersonal distance preferences, which have been previously linked to amygdala functioning. 46 healthy participants performed a behavioral task in which the distance they preferred to maintain between themselves and an experimenter was measured across a series of trials. Psychopathic traits, including Coldheartedness, Fearless Dominance, and Self-centered Impulsivity were assessed using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (Lilienfeld and Widows, 2005). Results demonstrated that Coldheartedness predicted preferred interpersonal distance, with more coldhearted participants preferring shorter distances. These findings suggest that interpersonal distance preferences may signal psychopathic traits, particularly callousness, supporting accounts of amygdala dysfunction in psychopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The space between people, or interpersonal distance, creates and defines the dynamics of social interactions. Given that invasion of one's interpersonal space may trigger threat and anxiety, a critical question is if high vulnerability to social anxiety (SA) is associated with avoidance and attentional biases when anticipating invasion to one's interpersonal space. Therefore, the current study sought to examine the behavioral mechanisms, time course and neural correlates underlying the threat of interpersonal distance invasion with a focus on different SA levels, using both a behavioral and an ERP experiment. Preferred interpersonal distance was assessed using a paradigm that involves responding to different virtual protagonists (friend or stranger) approaching the participant by indicating where one would like the protagonist to stop. In addition, participants' level of social anxiety was measured. The behavioral experiment indicated that levels of SA predicted one's preferred interpersonal distance such that higher SA individuals preferred further distance from a stranger. At the neural level, across groups, early (N1) but not late (LPP) differences were found between stranger and friend conditions. Importantly, SA individuals were characterized by attenuated early ERP responses, suggesting less attentional resources allocated to social stimuli. The results suggest that high SA individuals feel discomfort earlier than others in social engagement, which may lead them to stand further away, thus creating less communicative social interactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examined whether virtual worlds in which participants interact as avatars could be used as a novel instrument for cross-cultural and intercultural communication research. We explored differences between Asian and European cultures regarding their social spatial behavior (i.e., proxemics) in dyadic avatar interactions. Asian dyads interacted at larger distances than European dyads, which is consistent with the cross-cultural differences typically observed in face-to-face interactions. Mixed-culture dyads did not differ from the European dyads, indicating that Asians were more tolerant regarding the invasion of their personal (virtual) space. Since there is no culturally neutral physical environment, such intercultural interactions could not be studied in the physical world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Highly immersive three-dimensional virtual worlds have emerged as a popular medium for human social interactions. These environments enable multimodal sensory engagement and provide an immersive graphical representation of physical space where users can interact via avatars. However, when compared to two-dimensional virtual settings such as chats, virtual worlds impose constraints on social interactions due to the physical distance between individuals. Using the popular platform of Second Life as a model, we examined how humans manage this interindividual distance in virtual worlds. Taking advantage of methods developed in population ecology, we investigated how avatars are distributed in relation to each other to populate a virtual world. Our results revealed a striking dichotomy in the spatial relationships between avatars. Considerable aggregation, largely independent of population density, was observed alongside surprisingly marked physical isolation. These findings demonstrate that the spatial proximity to others determines how humans inhabit virtual worlds. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The authors examined whether, similar to collective agent behaviors in complex, biological systems (e.g., schools of fish and colonies of ants), performers in team sports displayed functional coordination tendencies, based on local interaction rules during performance. To investigate this issue, they used videogrammetry and digitizing procedures to observe interpersonal interactions in common 4 versus 2 + 2 subphases of the team sport of rugby union, involving 16 participants aged between 16 and 17 years of age. They observed pattern-forming dynamics in attacking subunits (n = 4 players) attempting to penetrate 2 defensive lines (n = 2 players in each). Data showed that within each attacking subunit, the 4 players displayed emergent functional grouping tendencies that differed between the 2 defensive lines. Results confirmed that grouping tendencies in attacking subunits of team games are sensitive to different task constraints, such as relative positioning to nearest defenders. It was concluded that running correlations were particularly useful for measuring the level of interpersonal coordination in functional grouping tendencies within attacking subunits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Virtual reality may be a good alternative method for measuring personal space and overcoming some limitations in previous studies on the social aspects of schizophrenia. Using this technology, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of personal space in patients with schizophrenia and evaluate the relationship between their social behaviors and schizophrenic symptoms. The distance from a virtual person and the angle of head orientation while talking to a virtual person in a virtual environment were measured in 30 patients with schizophrenia and 30 normal controls. It was found that patients with schizophrenia had longer distances and larger angles than did normal controls. The severity of the negative syndrome had significant inverse correlations with the distance from the angry and neutral virtual persons and with the angle of head orientation toward the happy and angry virtual persons, suggesting that negative symptoms may have a close relationship with personal space, including distancing and eye gaze. The larger personal space of patients may reflect their discomfort in close situations or cognitive deficits. Showing these profiles to patients could help them realize the amount of personal space they need. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed how hospitality businesses operate and how customers perceive and approach other customers in a shared physical space. Using strangership in commercial contexts as a theoretical framework, this research investigated how the pandemic's dynamic trajectory and relatively stable cultural interpersonal distance preferences jointly influence customer-to-customer (C2C) engagement in a restaurant context. Data from four countries in different stages of the pandemic and with distinct cultural interpersonal distance preferences showed a robust pandemic effect on C2C engagement in restaurants. In particular, this study found simultaneous heightening of both C2C sociability and estrangement when comorbidity is high. Results further indicated the pandemic's unequivocal impact on C2C engagement across contact and non-contact cultures, with the effect being more salient in contact cultures. This study contributes to the growing literature on COVID-19 and hospitality by presenting a multi-distance strangership theoretical perspective on C2C engagement in hospitality. • Investigate the pandemic effect on customer-to-customer engagement in hospitality consumption. • Offer a multi-distance "strangership" theoretical perspective of customer-to-customer engagement. • Examine four countries representing different stages of the pandemic trajectory and different cultural interpersonal distance preference. • Reveal a paradoxical and simultaneous heightening of both sociability and estrangement during the pandemic. • The pandemic effect on customer-to-customer engagement is more salient in contact cultures. • Sociability, estrangement, and consumer confidence significantly influence restaurant visit intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research measures interpersonal distances between shopping mall users under changing conditions of enclosure and density. It also explores the relationship between culture and interpersonal distance. Four shopping malls in Turkey and the United States are used. The research is carried out through unobtrusive observations with time-lapse digital photography to record naturally occurring interactions between mall users. More than three thousand interpersonal distances are measured. Type of enclosure is defined by the exploratory surveys, and density conditions of each area are measured after manual counts of people present in the digital photographs of open and enclosed mall areas. Overall comparisons and descriptions provide evidence about cross-cultural, age, and gender differences in interpersonal distance. Pairs in Turkish malls interact more closely than those in U.S. malls; adolescents interacting with other adolescents have the largest interpersonal distance; male-female pairs interact more closely than male-male and female-female pairs in all malls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with cancer and their parents report that treatment-related procedures are more traumatic and painful than cancer itself. Competing hypotheses have emerged regarding relations between parents’ social support and child pain and distress. Little is known about caregivers’ use of nonverbal immediacy behaviors that may function as social support messages. This study describes caregivers’ interpersonal distance and touch behaviors during painful pediatric oncology procedures and examines relations between those behaviors and children’s pain and distress. Caregivers’ total touch time and instrumental (task-oriented) touch time, but not supportive touch time, during the actual procedure co-varied with children’s procedural pain and distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do average people have a sense of information privacy, and do they require others to understand and respect such privacy concerns? This research attempted to operationalize the measure of information privacy by using interpersonal distance as a unit of measurement. We collected data on the interpersonal distance among the automatic teller machine (ATM), add value machine (AVM; information privacy attached) and ticket vending machine (TVM; little information privacy attached) users. On-site observation revealed that the interpersonal distance between ATM users was larger than that between AVM users, and the interpersonal distance between AVM users was larger than that between TVM users, which suggested that the concept of information privacy (in terms of personal identification numbers, money, etc.) can be thus operationalized and measured. Moreover, on-site observation and interview revealed that desired distance was larger than the actual distance for both ATM and AVM users, which indicated that people's actual information privacy need is higher than that anticipated by others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Most studies about human locomotion only tend to consider single subjects walking alone in a stationary environment. Nevertheless, human subjects have often to plan and generate their locomotor trajectories according to one another''s displacements. Therefore, in the present study we address the question of the interpersonal coordination when pairs of subjects walk simultaneously. Six pairs of subjects walking face to face, backwards and forwards on a 8m×2m track were involved in our experiment. Within each pair, the leader (L) was required to break the initial interpersonal distance whereas the follower (F) had to maintain this distance constant (1, 2 or 3m). We measured their position and analyzed their travelled distance, the time course of their linear displacement, and the kinematics parameters of their steps. Our results show that F travels smaller distances than L and that even if they are highly correlated, some temporal delays exist between displacements of L and F with greater values when the interpersonal distance increases (from 1 to 3m). These results are discussed in terms of high level imitation, i.e. bidirectional interactions with mutual influences of each subject on one another. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We tested for an association between adults' attachment style and their regulation of interpersonal physical distance. In Study 1, the stop-distance paradigm was used to derive measures reflecting tolerance of and reactiveness to spatial-intrusion. As predicted, university students who were classified as avoidantly attached (by a 3-category attachment style measure) were less tolerant of close interpersonal physical proximity than were securely attached individuals. Further, they were more reactive to spatial-intrusion by a male (but not a female) adult. In Study 2, we measured the distance that participants chose to sit from an interviewer. Participants' ratings on a 4-category measure were used to classify them into an attachment style and to derive measures of positive self model and positive other model. Results revealed that fearfully avoidant adults were distinguished by their choice of far interpersonal distances. Across subjects, the measure of positive self model made a unique contribution to choice of interpersonal distance, but the measure of positive other model did not. In summary, the data provide evidence of an association between adults' comfort with interpersonal emotional closeness (attachment style) and their comfort with and regulation of interpersonal physical closeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]