Personal Space Research Articles

Design for shared driverless vehicles of the future

On-demand shared transportation is a major new mobility innovation and potentially the main mode of transport in coming decades. Studies show that driverless vehicles have potential to accelerate uptake of shared vehicles at scale. People perceive sharing positively but do not necessarily translate perception into action, with desire for personal space a major reason for unwillingness to share vehicles. Design research is a powerful tool when creating methods and processes to anticipate future possibilities by visualising detailed features of proposed products. We present a set of design research methods engaging end users in a variety of empathy activities and a design process to translate their needs into visual concepts for future shared driverless vehicles that are attractive and more likely to be adopted.

Online harassment in labor relations

The article notes that the integration of social media into our daily lives has led to the blurring of the boundaries between work and personal space and, as a result, the growth of harassment on social media. Based on various statistics and international studies, it can be argued that harassment at work, especially sexual harassment, is a complex, unresolved problem for many companies around the world, and the constant growth of remote work that began during the pandemic directly leads to an increase in complaints about aggressive actions on the Internet. The authors of the article point out that harassment on social media in the workplace does not have to be limited to traditional working hours, and the harasser can be not only a colleague, manager, or technical staff, but also a client, supplier, etc. To effectively combat harassment in the workplace, organizations must first develop a zero-tolerance policy against harassment or any other form of discrimination and cultivate a culture of empathy. However, a policy or training alone is not enough if there is no detailed and effective mechanism for reporting harassment to a manager or an authorized body at the enterprise. The article analyzes the foreign and national experience of the procedure for reporting harassment and protecting violated rights. The author concludes that since Ukrainian legislation does not define harassment and does not establish liability for such actions, employees have the opportunity to protect their rights only within the framework of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Men and Women” and the Law of Ukraine “On Principles of Prevention and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine”. Therefore, the issue of supplementing national legislation with such a term as harassment, defining its possible forms and establishing liability, as was done, for example, with regard to mobbing, is now an urgent one.

Research on Regulation Method of Variable-Air-Volume Air Conditioning System with “Personal Space”

In large public facilities, such as airport terminals or open-plan office spaces, the HVAC system typically consumes substantial amounts of energy. However, individuals often gather at specific areas while other zones are occupied by transient or occasional users. To minimize operational energy usage, this paper aims to reduce thermal comfort demands in non-targeted areas. This paper introduces a method for regulating the thermal environment around occupants exclusively in the variable-air-volume (VAV) air conditioning running mode. The investigation utilizes Airpak modeling and experimental verification techniques. Additionally, an analysis of temperature field and velocity field distributions within the room under the “personal space” operation mode is presented. The results suggest that adjusting the numbers of air vents, openings, airflow velocities, and air supply orientations can establish a comfortable thermal environment for inhabitants and reduce the overall ADPI value. The combined air supply mode leads to a 16.7% reduction in power usage compared to traditional full-space operation.

L'espace vécu and Its Perturbations in Schizophrenia: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Altered Body-Centric Metrics-Personal and Peripersonal Space.

Subtle distortions of the experience of lived space have long been associated with schizophrenia. Although a body-centric transformation of space is considered an essential component of anomalous subjective experience in schizophrenia, its impact on the 2 major body-centric spatial constructs, that is, personal space (PS) and peripersonal space (PPS), is still not clear. This systematic review and meta-analysis have been set up to: (1) summarize the evidence on putative extensional differences of PS and PPS in schizophrenia as compared with controls, and (2) evaluate the quality and the limitations of available studies on the topic. Four electronic literature databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and CINAHL) were searched with the keywords "Personal space OR Interpersonal distance AND Schizophrenia," "Peripersonal space AND Schizophrenia" from inception until December 31, 2023, resulting in 15 studies on PS and 5 studies on PPS included in this systematic review. The 12 studies on PS included in the meta-analysis revealed that individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia place a larger interpersonal distance from the stimuli than controls, with a moderate effect size in both the fixed-effect model (Hedges' g = 0.558 [95% confidence interval, CI: 0.445-0.671]; z = 9.67; P < 0.0001) and the random effects model (0.547 [0.294-0.799]; z = 4.77; P = 0.0006). The 5 studies included in the meta-analysis on PPS showed that individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia exhibit a narrower PPS than the controls at the fixed-effect (Hedges' g = 1.043 [95%CI: .739-1.348]; z = 6.72; P < .0001), but not at the random effects model (1.318 [-0.721 to 3.359]; z = 1.79; P = .147). Heterogeneity was substantial in both meta-analyses. Overall, the findings indicate that both body-centered space constructs (PS and PPS) are affected in schizophrenia, with an enlargement PS and a reduction PPS, thereby supporting the distinction of these constructs. These modifications cohere with the subjective transformation of the lived space (aka espace vécu) reported in classical psychopathology and may be promising, neurodevelopmentally grounded, biomarkers of vulnerability to schizophrenia and its spectrum conditions.

Journal Digest: Cannabis Use and Head/Neck Cancer, Spousal CVD and Dementia, Childhood Maltreatment and Personal Space, and More

Journal Digest: Cannabis Use and Head/Neck Cancer, Spousal CVD and Dementia, Childhood Maltreatment and Personal Space, and More

Сравнительный анализ типов коллективного жилища в зависимости от социальных условий, наличия общих целей и продолжительности проживания

In Russian practice, there are examples of negative experiences with collective housing, such as communal apartments. However, given certain conditions and factors, collective housing can motivate creation and inspire experiments. The article examines three types of collective housing, varying in length of stay, presence or absence of common goals and values, voluntary or forced participation, size of personal space, and various financial capabilities. Communal apartments, corridor and block-type dormitories, and the organization of short-term festivals are considered as examples. A matrix of evaluation criteria has been formed for each type.

Music as a Tool for Affiliative Bonding: A Second-Person Approach to Musical Engagement

Music listening or playing can create a feeling of connection with other listeners or performers, with distinctive levels of immersion and absorption. A major question, in this regard, is whether the music does have an ontological status, as an end in itself, or whether it is only a tool for the mediation of something else. In this paper we endorse a mediating perspective, with a focus on the music’s potential to increase affiliative bonding between listeners, performers and even the music. Music, then, is hypostasized as “something that touches us” and can be considered a partner of affiliative exchange. It has the potential to move us and to modulate the way we experience the space around us. We therefore elaborate on the tactile dimension of being moved, as well as on the distinction between personal, peripersonal, and extrapersonal space, with a corresponding distinction between first-person, second-person, and third-person perspectives on musical engagement.

The Secondary Home Furnishing Consumer: An Investigation into Psychological Motivations and Purchase Intention

Due to an increased interest in the circular economy, there has been a gradual shift to purchase used items including home furnishings by consumers. The secondhand home furnishing industry is gaining traction in the market and therefore, it is imperative to understand what is driving consumers to shop for these used pieces and adding them to their personal spaces. The purpose of this study was to explore psychological motivations for secondhand home furnishing consumption, including environmental sustainability, functionality, aesthetic style, and economics, and their impact on purchase intention. Guided by the theory of reasoned action, an online survey was administered to home furnishing consumers and data were analyzed quantitatively. Findings supported that the psychological motivations of environmental sustainability, functionality, and aesthetic style positively influenced consumer attitudes with purchase intentions of secondary home furnishing items. The results of this study expand the applicability of the TRA model specifically to secondhand home furnishing consumers. Practically, this study gives insights into secondary home furnishing consumers and their interest in environmental sustainability, functionality, and aesthetically appealing pieces.

The conditionality of the sovereignty of the psychological space of the individual by coping strategies and mechanisms of psychological protection for people from single-parent and large families

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the relationship between the sovereignty of the psychological space of personality, coping strategies and mechanisms of psychological protection of personality. Respondents who grew up in families with different numbers of children demonstrate the specific features of their coping behaviors and mechanisms of psychological protection in relation to indicators of the sovereignty of the psychological space of the individual.

Understanding Human-Robot Interactions with a Humanoid Robot

Human responses towards robots vary from excitement and acceptance to complete rejection, and as robots become more prevalent in personal and public spaces, understanding the factors that elicit those responses is important. This research explores the factors influencing these responses, specifically in the context of human-robot collaborative tasks. Under mechatronics and robotics, the study focuses on identifying behavioural features (like triggers or positive/negative eliciting actions) and human-designed robot algorithms that elicit different human reactions. It also examines how these features interact to shape human behaviour and emotions in stressful and calm situations. I developed a study in a simulated medical setting where participants are tasked with developing dialogue scripts for a social robot. The study utilizes the NAO robot and a programmable platform called the Robot Management System developed by RobotLab. Participants will program NAO to interact with a patient, perform a checkup, and decide on actions like writing a prescription or referring the patient to medical professionals. The experiment is designed to observe how the participant interacts with the robot to complete tasks and how the robot’s design impacts the participants' perception and interaction following and during tasks. While no experimental data has been collected due to pending ethics approval, the research will provide insights into human-robot interaction, including algorithm design. This study aims to enhance our understanding of human-robot relationships, contributing to developing robotic systems that can be effectively integrated into social environments, such as healthcare settings or similar environments. These insights may inform the design and deployment of robots to ensure they support rather than disrupt social dynamics.

Özel Yetenekli Öğrencilerde Fiziksel Aktivitenin Çok Yönlü Boyutlarının İncelenmesi

At the stage of supporting students with special abilities in physical activities, those who learn in a more kinesthetic way can demonstrate high-level abilities with the potential to do so through education and/or tactile learning. Students with special abilities exhibit excellent characteristics in one or more of the following areas when examined by the physical activity dimension. Physical area: physiological predisposition to succeed in a particular sport or activity; competence and fitness to perform physical activities, has a strong awareness of his body. Social area: Excellent in leadership, teamwork, initiative and similar characteristics; willingness to share the enthusiasm and passions of others, has self-confidence in showing his talent. Personal space: Enthusiastic and passionate, high self-regulation capacity, self-discipline, strong time management skills, high self-belief, goal-oriented, challenging, excellent inner front group owner, highly motivated to achieve personal best and skillful in mastering skills. Cognitive area: Planning ability is at a high level, understands and has knowledge of physical / sports-related concepts, has the ability to make decisions under pressure. Field of creativity: Gives fluent, original and sensitive responses to difficulties. The skills that students with special abilities exhibit in the field of sports talent are as follows: Having more advanced agility, balance and coordination than their peers. Being fast, which is an innate characteristic and usually distinguishes "exceptional" athletes. The ability to combine his movements fluidly, Decently and accurately. An unusual interest in learning sports rules or activities and mastery in this area. A high level of willingness to master physical skills. Applying the combination of physical skills and cognitive abilities in the right way at the right time in sports/game/activity skills. An interest in teaching a skill or concept to others. Outstanding leadership qualities in the context of sports or activity. Special talented people not only take pride in performing well, they actively engage with others and help peers and teammates to play well. In order to support students with special abilities in physical activities; regular physical education activities, regular aerobic programs, supports with smart boards or similar interactive technological equipment, interactive sports and games, nature trips with active participation, opportunities to teach physical skills to others, adding multi-media resources (such as computers, videos, software programs, presentations, visuals) can be useful in practitioners' programs (teacher presentations and student presentations). Key Words: Special Ability, Special Ability Students, Physical Activity

The cage as an educational and therapeutic tool for dogs: Results of a dog’s owners questionnaire survey

IntroductionThe primary motivation for dog ownership is companionship, significantly enhancing the quality of life for both dogs and their owners. However, behavioral problems can strain this bond, leading many owners to resort to caging as a management strategy. This study aims to examine the frequency of cage use for educational and behavioral reasons, assess its efficacy in modifying behaviors, and explore potential welfare implications. Materials and methodsA 41-question survey was disseminated via social networks from January to June 2021, collecting data on various aspects related to dogs, including caging history, duration, type of cage, outcomes for training purposes, behavioral modification plans, and welfare impact. The survey, available in French, English, and Hebrew, gathered responses from 1305 dog owners across 23 countries. ResultsThe study found that 25.4 % of respondents used cages for their dogs. Neutered female dogs were more likely to be caged than their counterparts. The majority of caged dogs were puppies aged 6 months or younger, typically caged for training purposes. According to owners report, training goals were more easily achieved than behavioral goals, with dogs caged for behavioral conditions exhibiting more signs of distress. DiscussionThe findings highlight the prevalent use of caging for various purposes. If the study outcomes show an overall low level of discomfort for caged dogs, they also emphasize that signs of distress significantly increase when the cage is used for managing behavioral issues. The study underscores the need for enhanced education for veterinarians and trainers to reduce unnecessary caging and promote alternative management strategies. Future research should incorporate objective measures of behavior and welfare, explore the efficacy of alternative strategies, and investigate cultural factors influencing caging practices. ConclusionCrating can serve educational purposes with minimal welfare impact when used appropriately. However, it is ineffective and potentially detrimental when used for behavioral therapy in dogs with behavioral disorders. Owners should seek professional guidance and closely monitor their dogs for signs of distress when using crates. Using a crate as a personal and protected space can be beneficial if the dog retains control over its use.

Citizen science: Development of a low-cost magnetometer system for a coordinated space weather monitoring

As part of Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project, a low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf magnetometer has been developed to provide quantitative and qualitative measurements of the geospace environment from the ground for both scientific and operational purposes at a cost that will allow for crowd-sourced data contributions. The PSWS magnetometers employ a magneto-inductive sensor technology to record three-axis magnetic field variations with a field resolution of ∼3 nT at a 1 Hz sample rate. The measurement range of the sensor is ±1.1×106 nT) and is valid over a temperature range of −40 °C to +85 °C. Data from the PSWS network will combine these magnetometer measurements with high frequency (HF, 3–30 MHz) radio observations to monitor large-scale current systems and ionospheric disturbances due to drivers from both space and the atmosphere. A densely-spaced magnetometer array, once established, will demonstrate their space weather monitoring capability to an unprecedented spatial extent. Magnetic field data obtained by the magnetometers installed at various locations in the US are presented and compared with the existing magnetometers nearby, demonstrating that the performance is very adequate for scientific investigations.

How Socio-Economic and Cultural Factors Shape Privacy in Ibadan's Public Housing Estates

This study investigates the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of residents in selected public housing estates in Ibadan, focusing on the privacy regulatory mechanisms they adopt. By employing a mixed-methods approach, the research involved administering questionnaires to 565 household heads and conducting in-depth interviews with eight key informants from neighbourhood associations. The findings indicate a significant majority (92.00%) of respondents have adopted privacy regulating mechanisms, with personal space and territorial behaviour being the most common. ANOVA results reveal a significant relationship between these mechanisms and the residents' socio-economic and cultural characteristics. Qualitative insights from key informants' interviews provided a nuanced understanding of residents' privacy needs, highlighting emotional and behavioural cues, as well as verbal and non-verbal data. The study concludes that privacy regulation in public housing varies across different estates and is influenced by nine socio-economic and cultural factors, offering guidance for sustainable housing design that considers contemporary urbanization's socio-economic impacts. These findings can inform architects and policymakers in creating housing designs that respect privacy and enhance the quality of life for residents.

Public space and everyday heritage: An inquiry into children's and adults' perception

This paper examines how the spatial environment and the activities within these spaces contribute to their social value in turn informing the concept of everyday heritage within urban public spaces. We develop a novel methodological framework that combines visual representation and narrative analysis to provide insights into how the physical, emotional and perceptual dimensions of a public open space translate into associative social values. By including both adults and children in our study, we capture a comprehensive range of perceptions, highlighting the diverse ways in which different user groups give meaning to everyday heritage. Children and their guardians showed agreement on natural elements and personal representations, but differed on the garden's spatial layout and activities. While they shared values like childhood memories and family time, children prioritized play, forming new friendships, and connecting with nature, whereas parents emphasized children's happiness and personal space. Notably, both groups indicate that childhood – both lived and remembered – is that which gives this public urban space its everyday heritage status. The findings advocate for an expanded understanding of urban public spaces, recognizing the significance of everyday heritage in shaping collective cultural identity.

Comparison of Human-Drone Distancing Studies Across In-person and Online Modalities

Human-robot proxemics behaviors can vary based on personal, robot, and environmental factors which, along with their deployment in public-facing interactions, calls for an in-depth exploration. This paper explores the impact of altitude and safety modifications of small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) on users’ comfortable interaction distance. By leveraging interaction techniques from literature like video, sound, and simulations, we explore personal space interactions in online studies (N=376) with the sUAV and the Double telepresence robot. We then compare the findings with our in-person interaction data (N=47). While in-person interactions are the ultimate goal, online methods can be used to reduce resources, allow larger sample sizes, and may lead to a more comprehensive sampling of population than would be expected from in-person studies. The lessons learned from this work are applicable broadly within the social robotics community, even outside those who are interested in proxemics interactions, to conduct future crowd-sourced experiments. The various modalities provided similar trends when compared with data from in-person studies. While the distances may not have been precise compared to those measured in the real world, these experiments are useful to detect patterns in human-robot interactions, and to conduct formative studies before committing resources to in-person testing.

'The Lost Peace': Evidencing the Syndemic Relationship between Neglected Tropical Diseases and Mental Distress in Liberia.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of chronic infectious diseases of poverty affecting over one billion people globally. Intersections of NTDs, disability, and mental ill-health are increasingly evidenced but are rarely studied from a mixed-methods perspective. Here, we advance syndemic understandings by further assessing and contextualising the syndemic relationship between NTDs (particularly their associated disability) and mental distress in Liberia. Participatory qualitative methods, including body mapping (56 participants), social mapping (28 participants), and in-depth interviews (12) provided space for persons affected by NTDs to narrate their experiences. Simultaneously, 201 surveys explored experiences of common mental health conditions among persons affected by skin NTDs. An intersectionality approach was applied within the analysis for both qualitative and quantitative methods informed by Meyer's minority stress model, adapted for NTDs. Qualitative data was analysed thematically and gender-disaggregated, univariable and multivariable analyses were applied to survey data for the outcome measures depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7). Disability was associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety (p < 0.001). An interaction between disability and being a women increased incidence risk ratio of depression (p < 0.001). In alignment with qualitative findings, persons affected experienced additional generalised (financial concerns), external (experience of stigma) and internal (experience of pain and physical symptoms) minority stressors, to varying degrees, which contributed towards their mental distress, and mental health conditions. These findings were used to co-develop a syndemic-informed person-centred health system response to address the suffering associated with NTDs and mental distress, including a focus on strengthening relationships between formal and informal community health actors and the broader health system.

Effects of direction cue time and walking speed on spatial-temporal gait adaptations in healthy older and young adults upon approach of turns

Background:Hurrying and turning are each associated with falls in older adults. Losing balance sideways when turning increases the likelihood of hip fracture. Yet 99 % of failures when turning unexpectedly have been traced to an inability to curb forward momentum regardless of age. Research questionDo age-based differences exist in spatial-temporal gait adaptations related to medial-lateral (M-L) balance and posterior-anterior (P-A) propulsion upon approach of turns relative to continuing straight, across walking speeds and whether direction is known in advance? MethodsHealthy young (n=10) and older adults (n = 10) walked at preferred and fast test speeds while randomly cued for direction either early upon initiating gait or late 1–2 steps before entering a spatially defined turning area. An instrumented 4.6 m carpet recorded spatial-temporal changes up to the penultimate footfall prior to turning 900 or continuing straight. ResultsWhen approaching the turning zone across interactions of walking test speed, cue time and direction, other than stride-length being shorter in older adults, both age-groups showed similar adjustments in gait speed and stride-length in managing P-A deceleration perturbations, and similar adaptations in right and left heel-to-heel base of support (BOS) in managing M-L balance destabilizing forces. A three-way interaction (p<.027) suggests a similar foot strategy of BOS narrowing may be used approaching turns relative to straight walks when direction is cued early walking fast (p<.020) and late walking preferred speed (p<.014). SignificanceThe findings were interpreted within the context of regulating center of mass acceleration and processing environmental regulatory conditions to maintain a personal space safety margin. The study supports that in otherwise healthy older adults, gait training for turns include practice to not only manage perturbations which accelerate the body sideways but also those which decelerate forward progression.

Social Type-Aware Navigation Framework for Mobile Robots in Human-Shared Environments.

As robots become increasingly common in human-populated environments, they must be perceived as social beings and behave socially. People try to preserve their own space during social interactions with others, and this space depends on a variety of factors, such as individual characteristics or their age. In real-world social spaces, there are many different types of people, and robots need to be more sensitive, especially when interacting with vulnerable subjects such as children. However, the current navigation methods do not consider these differences and apply the same avoidance strategies to everyone. Thus, we propose a new navigation framework that considers different social types and defines appropriate personal spaces for each, allowing robots to respect them. To this end, the robot needs to classify people in a real environment into social types and define the personal space for each type as a Gaussian asymmetric function to respect them. The proposed framework is validated through simulations and real-world experiments, demonstrating that the robot can improve the quality of interactions with people by providing each individual with an adaptive personal space. The proposed costmap layer is available on GitHub.

The missiological character of deaf Catholic material culture

Too often, deaf Catholics are assumed and expected to be “passive recipients of mercy” rather than active participants in mission. This is far from the role that deaf Catholics have played in the body of Christ. This introduction to deaf Catholic material culture serves to highlight one often overlooked source that demonstrates how deaf Catholics are active participants in the church’s mission—through the creation, curation, and dissemination of objects. First, the essay contextualizes deaf Catholic material culture within the sociocultural model of disability, without which the meaning and value that the objects hold cannot be fully appreciated. Then it explains how these objects create culturally-deaf spaces and the significance these spaces hold for the deaf community. Second, an analysis of various objects in public and personal spaces, which range from liturgical art and liturgical furnishings to everyday items such as pens and mugs in deaf Catholic communities is presented. Characteristics of deaf Catholic material culture and an explanation of how and what theologies of mission are operationalized through these objects in various spaces are discussed. The essay concludes with a typology of deaf Catholic material culture and the missiological opportunities they present. In so doing, the author argues that attention to material culture in deaf Catholicism counters the misconception that deaf Catholics are incapable of mission and challenges ableist theological ideas of deafness which portray deaf Catholic experiences as deficient, spiritually inferior, and dependent on hearing people.