AS & A Level Psychology (9990) Study Notes: Social Approach

Core Study: Perry, Mankuta & Shamay-Tsoory (2015) - Personal Space

Welcome! This study by Perry et al. is fascinating because it connects your inner biology (hormones) with how you interact socially (how close you let people stand to you). If you've ever felt uncomfortable when someone stands too near, you're experiencing personal space, and this study tries to understand what controls that "invisible bubble"!


This research falls under the Social Approach, which assumes that our behaviour is heavily influenced by the social context, environment, and the presence of others (even implied or imagined presence).

1. The Psychology Being Investigated

Perry et al. focused on three interconnected psychological concepts:

  1. Interpersonal Distance (Personal Space): This is the physical space or ‘buffer zone’ individuals maintain between themselves and others. It is often non-verbal communication, conveying comfort or discomfort.
  2. Social Hormones (Oxytocin): Oxytocin is sometimes called the "love hormone" or "bonding hormone." It is a chemical messenger in the brain linked to social attachment, trust, and affiliation.
  3. Empathy: The ability to understand or share the feelings of another person. The researchers investigated if the effect of oxytocin depended on a person's level of empathy.
Quick Review Box: The Core Question

The study essentially asks: Does the "social hormone" oxytocin make people want to stand closer to others, and does this effect depend on how empathetic they already are?

2. Background to the Study

Historically, personal space has been studied as a purely social phenomenon. However, researchers started looking into biological factors. Previous studies had already shown that **oxytocin** plays a role in promoting social behaviour and reducing social anxiety.

Perry and colleagues hypothesised that oxytocin would decrease the comfortable distance people keep from others, but importantly, they predicted this effect would be strongest in people who were already **highly empathetic**.

3. Aims and Hypotheses

Aims of Perry et al. (2015)

The main aim was to investigate the effect of the hormone **oxytocin** on an individual's **perception of personal space (interpersonal distance)**, and to see if this effect was moderated by the individual difference of **empathy**.

(Note: The syllabus does not explicitly require hypotheses for this study, but we can infer the directional hypothesis based on the results and aim.)

Inferred Directional Hypothesis: Participants administered with oxytocin would exhibit a smaller comfortable interpersonal distance compared to the placebo group, particularly amongst those scoring high in empathy.

4. Procedure and Methodology

Perry et al. conducted two separate laboratory experiments to investigate this relationship, using an **Independent Measures Design** (participants were either in the oxytocin condition or the placebo condition).

4.1 Participants and Variables

  • Sample: The specific sample size and demographics are often omitted in the brief syllabus description, but participants were healthy volunteers (implied by the drug administration).
  • Sampling Technique: Not specified, but likely Opportunity or Volunteer Sampling.
Key Variables:
  • Independent Variable (IV): The substance administered to the participants: Oxytocin nasal spray or Placebo nasal spray (a harmless saline solution).
  • Moderator Variable: The participant’s pre-existing level of **empathy** (measured using a standardised questionnaire like the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)).
  • Dependent Variable (DV): The participant’s **comfortable interpersonal distance (personal space)**, measured differently in the two experiments.

4.2 Experiment 1: Measuring Physical Distance (Computerised Task)

  1. Administration: Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the **oxytocin** or the **placebo** nasal spray.
  2. Empathy Measurement: Before the main task, participants completed an empathy questionnaire (e.g., the IRI) to determine their empathy level (high or low).
  3. CIDS Task: Researchers used a **Computerised Interpersonal Distance Scale (CIDS)**. This technique measured the DV objectively.
  4. The Task: Participants viewed a virtual human avatar (a computer representation of a person) on a screen. They were instructed to move the avatar closer or further away until they felt the distance was **comfortable** for a neutral social interaction. This distance (in cm) was the DV.

Did you know? Using a computerised task like CIDS allows for very precise, **quantitative data** measurement, which increases the **objectivity** of the results.

4.3 Experiment 2: Measuring Room Choice (Validation)

This second experiment was conducted to see if the findings from the virtual reality/computer task (Exp 1, which had low ecological validity) held true in a more realistic scenario using pictures.

  1. Administration and Empathy: Same procedure—participants received oxytocin or placebo and had their empathy scores recorded.
  2. The Task: Participants were shown pictures of different rooms with two chairs placed at varying distances from each other.
  3. DV Measurement: Participants were asked to choose which room they would feel most comfortable using for a brief discussion with another person. The choice indicated their preferred **interpersonal distance**.

5. Results and Conclusions

5.1 Main Findings (Quantitative)

The results showed a clear **interaction effect** between oxytocin and empathy:

  • High Empathy Group: In participants who scored high on empathy, those given **oxytocin** chose a significantly **closer interpersonal distance** (smaller bubble) than those given the placebo.
  • Low Empathy Group: For participants who scored low on empathy, there was **no significant difference** in their chosen personal space whether they received oxytocin or placebo.

This means the hormone only worked on people who were already naturally inclined towards social connection.

5.2 Conclusion

Perry et al. concluded that oxytocin acts as a 'social lubricant' by promoting closer interpersonal distance, but this effect is dependent on a person's existing tendency toward sociality, specifically their level of **empathy**.

The study highlights that personal space is not just purely social; it involves an **interaction** between biological mechanisms (hormones) and cognitive/social traits (empathy).

Key Takeaway

The main finding is the interaction: **Oxytocin + High Empathy = Closer Personal Space**.

6. Evaluation: Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths of Perry et al.

  • High Control (Lab Experiment): The study was conducted in a controlled laboratory setting. Researchers tightly controlled the independent variable (oxytocin vs. placebo) and used random allocation, increasing the study's **internal validity** and making it easier to establish **cause and effect**.
  • Objective Measurement: Using the CIDS computerised scale provided **objective, quantitative data** for the comfortable interpersonal distance, reducing subjective bias inherent in self-reports.
  • Replicability: Due to the standardised procedure (nasal spray dosage, CIDS test), the study is easily **replicable** by other researchers to confirm the findings, which increases **reliability**.
  • Practical Application: Understanding the role of oxytocin and empathy could lead to treatments for conditions involving impaired social interaction (e.g., social anxiety).

Weaknesses of Perry et al.

  • Low Ecological Validity: Both experiments used artificial measures (a virtual avatar on a screen in Exp 1, or choosing rooms from pictures in Exp 2). This might not reflect how people behave in real-life social situations, reducing **ecological validity**.
  • Ethical Concerns (Deception/Informed Consent): To prevent demand characteristics, participants were likely not told whether they received oxytocin or a placebo. While necessary for validity, this involves **lack of deception** and affects **valid consent** (though the placebo is harmless).
  • Sample Generalisability: The sample consisted of healthy volunteers. It is hard to **generalise** the findings to clinical populations or people from different cultural backgrounds, as personal space norms vary significantly globally.
  • Reductionism: By focusing heavily on a single hormone (oxytocin), the study might be accused of **biological reductionism**, ignoring the complexity of social interaction which involves many other social, cultural, and cognitive factors.

7. Issues and Debates

This study is excellent for discussing how different levels of explanation interact:

Individual and Situational Explanations

This study strongly supports an **interactionist view**:

  • Situational: The administration of oxytocin (the situation/stimulus) influenced behavior.
  • Individual: This situational factor only worked for certain **individuals** (those with high empathy levels). Therefore, personal space is explained by the interaction between the individual's traits and the immediate situation.

Nature versus Nurture

This study integrates both sides of the debate:

  • Nature (Biological): The influence of the hormone **oxytocin** shows that biological, innate factors affect our social behaviour and comfortable distance.
  • Nurture (Cognitive/Social): The need for **empathy** (a largely learned or developed social trait) to trigger the effect suggests that the environment and experience (nurture) moderate biological influences.

Application to Everyday Life

  • The findings can be applied to therapeutic interventions. For instance, low-empathy individuals struggling with social interactions might not benefit from oxytocin alone, suggesting that **social skills training** (enhancing empathy) might be a necessary prerequisite.

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Remember the core idea: Your invisible bubble (personal space) is controlled partly by your biology (oxytocin) but only if you already have a social outlook (empathy). It's a team effort!