The Influence of Biological Sex Sexuality and Gender
Copyright © The British Psychological Society
Reproduction in any form (including the internet) is prohibited without prior permission from the Society
579
British Journal of Social Psychology (2006), 45, 579–597 q 2006 The British Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society www.bpsjournals.co.uk The influence of biological sex, sexuality and gender role on interpersonal distance
David Uzzell1* and Nathalie Horne2
1 2
Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK Research Development Centre, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham & Southwark PCTs, London, UK
This research reports on a conceptually and methodologically innovative study, which sought to measure the influence of gender on interpersonal distance. In so doing, we argue for an important distinction to be made between biological sex, gender role, and sexuality. To date, however, progress in the study of interpersonal distance (IPD) has been inhibited by poor operational definitions and inadequate measurement methodologies. For our own investigation, we innovated on methodology by devising the digital video-recording IPD method (DiVRID) that records interpersonal spatial relationships using high quality digital video equipment. The findings highlighted not only the validity of our innovative method of investigation, but also that a more sophisticated conceptualization of the impact of gender on IPD is warranted than can be accounted for by biological sex differences. In this study, we found that gender role accounts for more of the variation in IPD than the conventionally reported gender variable, sex.
Of more than 1,200 papers on personal space between 1964 and 2003 recorded in the PsycInfo database, two-thirds (67.6%) were published before 1983. Since that date, there has been a marked decline in published studies and presumably research (1964 to 1973: 95; 1974 to 1983: 725; 1984 to 1993: 211; 1994 to 2003: 182). Such a decline cannot be attributable to a lessening relevance of
Reproduction in any form (including the internet) is prohibited without prior permission from the Society
579
British Journal of Social Psychology (2006), 45, 579–597 q 2006 The British Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society www.bpsjournals.co.uk The influence of biological sex, sexuality and gender role on interpersonal distance
David Uzzell1* and Nathalie Horne2
1 2
Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK Research Development Centre, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham & Southwark PCTs, London, UK
This research reports on a conceptually and methodologically innovative study, which sought to measure the influence of gender on interpersonal distance. In so doing, we argue for an important distinction to be made between biological sex, gender role, and sexuality. To date, however, progress in the study of interpersonal distance (IPD) has been inhibited by poor operational definitions and inadequate measurement methodologies. For our own investigation, we innovated on methodology by devising the digital video-recording IPD method (DiVRID) that records interpersonal spatial relationships using high quality digital video equipment. The findings highlighted not only the validity of our innovative method of investigation, but also that a more sophisticated conceptualization of the impact of gender on IPD is warranted than can be accounted for by biological sex differences. In this study, we found that gender role accounts for more of the variation in IPD than the conventionally reported gender variable, sex.
Of more than 1,200 papers on personal space between 1964 and 2003 recorded in the PsycInfo database, two-thirds (67.6%) were published before 1983. Since that date, there has been a marked decline in published studies and presumably research (1964 to 1973: 95; 1974 to 1983: 725; 1984 to 1993: 211; 1994 to 2003: 182). Such a decline cannot be attributable to a lessening relevance of