Personal Space Violations as A Function of Height

Summary Ninety-one male and female adults, who were walking in the corridor of a commuter train station situated in a large metropolitan area of the United States, were given the option of violating the personal space of either a tall or short male confederate (C). In a similar manner, 91 additional male and female adults could violate the personal space of either a tall or short female C. The results showed that the commuters significantly preferred to intrude into the short, rather than the tall, Cs' spaces. This discrimination occurred for both male and female Cs. Also, female commuters invaded the space of the short Cs significantly more frequently than did the male commuters.