Don't stand so close to me

We provide preliminary evidence that listening to music through headphones alters the perception of space around the body -- specifically, the interpersonal distance maintained between the self and others. In comparison to an external auditory environment, wearing headphones or earplugs increased the amount of space maintained between the wearer and another person during an active approach paradigm. This finding suggests that, when external cues to spatial location (such as sound) are removed, people compensate by increasing the distance between themselves and others. The implications of this research for navigating busy urban environments and for the social interactions of wearers of personal music systems are discussed.

Doctors' perceptions of personal boundaries

Definitions of professional roles and appropriate care are increasingly inclusive in primary care but many subjective factors influence the care that is actually delivered. One such factor is the boundary a clinician puts on his or her self in interactions with patients. This qualitative study investigated doctors' perceptions of personal boundaries to primary care consultations by exploring two examples: touch and spiritual care. Respondents reported clear but contrasting boundaries: some neither used touch nor explored spiritual care; others regularly undertook both. Some interviewees deliberately varied these boundaries, irrespective of their own views, if they felt this was in their patients' best interests. Such subjective limits may affect the quality of primary health care offered to some patients and contrast with theoretical definitions which assume both all-encompassing primary care, and doctors' conscious awareness of themselves and their personal boundaries. The existence of these boundaries, and some doctors' lack of awareness of them, has educational implications if patient-centred professional role definitions are to be realistically delivered in everyday primary care.

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Social Immersive Media

This research defines social immersive media: a distinct form of augmented reality focused on social interaction.

The research articulates philosophical goals, design principles, and interaction techniques that create strong emotional responses and social engagement through visceral interaction. The research describes approaches to clearly communicate cultural and scientific ideas through the medium and demonstrates how practitioners can design interactions that promote specific social behaviors in users.


(Scott Snibbe)

personal space

The distances and angles of orientation that people maintain from one another as they interact. Personal space is typically measured as the distance between individuals (“interpersonal distance”). Equating personal space to an invisible “bubble” is appealing but has been criticized because it implies that personal space has one distinct boundary and exists even when people are alone. Because interpersonal cues change with increasing distances, personal spacing is one of several “boundary regulation” mechanisms that allow individuals to achieve and communicate desired levels of contact and intimacy (e.g., touch, visual, auditory, olfactory, and warmth cues vary in intensity; see nonverbal communication ). E. T. Hall described four personal space zones that reflect varying degrees of cue exchange: intimate distance (0cm–15cm); personal distance (45cm – 120cm); social distance (1.2m–3.5m); and public distance (3.5 m).