NCJ Number
5828
Date Published
1971
Length
73 pages
Annotation
THIS PROJECT INVOLVED A SERIES OF SIX LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE HOW CLOSE A PERSON WOULD ALLOW A POTENTIALLY HOSTILE STRANGER TO APPROACH AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF TAKING DEFENSIVE ACTION.
Abstract
A VARIETY OF VICTIM, INTRUDER, AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES WERE MANIPULATED WITHIN THE LABORATORY IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY SOME UNDERLYING CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR. THESE CHARACTERISTICS, WHICH OF THE VICTIM AND OF THE INTRUDER. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT) LESS PROBABLE, INCLUDED THREAT, DEFENSE CAPABILITY, THE VICTIM'S AND THE INTRUDER'S SEX, THE AVAILABILITY OF A 'PANIC BUTTON,' AND DEGREES OF ILLUMINATION. THE BASIC MEASURES WERE STOPPING DISTANCE AND, IN TEACHER-LEARNER EXPERIMENTS INVOLVING REWARD AND PUNISHMENT WITH 'SHOCK DELIVERY,' SHOCK DURATION AND SHOCK INTENSITY. DEMOGRAPHIC AND PERSONALITY DATA WERE ALSO COLLECTED AND RELATED TO VICTIM DEFENSE MANEUVERS. SUBJECTS WERE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT THE VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA. DATA INDICATED THAT MALES AND FEMALES WERE SIMILAR IN THEIR RATIOS OF INVADING VERSUS BEING INVADED. HOWEVER, A MALE SUBJECT WAS ALLOWED TO INVADE A FEMALE SUBJECT'S PERSONAL SPACE TO JUST ABOUT THE SAME DEGREE THAT SHE WAS ALLOWED TO INVADE HIS. IN ANOTHER EXPERIMENT, MALE SUBJECTS ALLOWED THE INTRUDER TO MOVE CLOSER THAN DID FEMALE SUBJECTS AND FEMALES TENDED TO DELIVER GREATER SHOCK INTENSITIES. OTHER FINDINGS SUGGESTED THAT HAVING A WEAPON AVAILABLE FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN WAS ASSOCIATED WITH KEEPING A THREATENING INTRUDER FAR AWAY. IN ANOTHER EXPERIMENT THAT COMPARED INSTRUMENTAL AGGRESSION AND HELPING BEHAVIOUR, OR ALTRUISM, DATA SUPPORTED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT GUILT EVOKED BY HARMING INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF HELPING BEHAVIOR SHOWN TOWARD THE 'VICTIM.' PROJECT RESULTS MIGHT AID IN ESTABLISHING BEHAVIORAL EXPECTANCIES FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF PERSONAL SPACE INVASIONS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS. THEY MAY ALSO BROADEN UNDERSTANDING OF CROWDING AND ITS EFFECTS AND HELP REFINE PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY IN PERSONAL SPACE EXPERIMENTATION. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. TABLES INDICATE THE EFFECTS OF VARYING THE SEX OF VICTIM AND INTRUDER, CORRELATIONS BETWEEN BEHAVIORAL MEASURES AND SCORES FROM THE SENSATION SEEKING SCALE, AND THE EFFECTS OF VARYING LEVELS OF ILLUMINATION. APPENDIXES CONTAIN A POSTTEST SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL QUESTIONNAIRE AND A CAPABILITY FOR DEFENSE SCALE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--AOP)