Perry et al. (Personal Space) Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, methodology, measures, and findings from the Perry et al. study on personal space and oxytocin.

Oxytocin (OT)

A neuropeptide known for its role in social behavior and bonding that facilitates pro-social behaviors and approach tendencies.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of others, serving as a key factor in social interactions.

Amygdala

A brain region involved in emotional processing, implicated in the regulation of interpersonal distance.

Social Salience Hypothesis

A hypothesis suggesting that oxytocin alters the perception and processing of social cues, leading to varying effects on behavior depending on interpersonal context and individual differences.

Stop-distance Paradigm

A behavioral task used to measure interpersonal distance preference in centimeters by asking participants to stop at a comfortable distance from an approaching figure or confederate.

Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)

A self-report questionnaire used to assess different aspects of empathy across four subscales: Perspective Taking, Fantasy, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress.

Double-blind Procedure

An experimental control where neither the participants nor the experimenters knew which treatment (oxytocin or placebo) was administered, reducing bias.

Experiment 1 Sample

54 male undergraduate students at the University of Haifa, with 40 used in the main experiment, aged 19 to 32 years (mean age $25.29$).

Oxytocin Treatment Dosage

An intranasal administration of $24\,\text{IU}$ oxytocin, compared against a placebo saline solution.

Experiment 2 Sample

90 healthy male volunteers aged between 18 and 35 years, randomly assigned to an oxytocin group or a placebo group.

IRI Subscales

The subcomponents of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, consisting of Perspective Taking, Fantasy, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress.

IRB Restrictions

Local Institutional Review Board rules regarding intranasal oxytocin administration in females, which limited the study sample strictly to male participants.

Differential Effects of Oxytocin

The finding that following oxytocin administration, highly empathic individuals prefer closer interpersonal distances, whereas less empathic individuals exhibit the opposite preference and prefer greater distances.

Social Desirability Bias

A potential weakness in self-reported empathy data where participants rate themselves more positively to appear empathetic, affecting the accuracy of IRI categories.