Personal Space and Acculturation

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Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to compare acculturated and nonacculturated Africans on distance and orientation dimensions of simulated personal space, both within and between the groups. There were 16 males in each group, with a mean age of 21.06 years for the acculturated group and 20.06 years for the nonacculturated group. Personal space was measured by means of doll-placements in three conditions of differential status (Chief, Peer, and Boy), and a significance level of p<.05 was maintained throughout the analysis. Comparisons within the groups revealed that the acculturated group placed themselves significantly farther from the Chief than from the Peer, while the nonacculturated group placed themselves significantly farther from the Boy than from the Chief. Other distance comparisons, and all orientation differences, were not significant within the groups. Between-group comparisons showed significantly greater mean distance and orientation scores for the nonacculturated group in the Peer and Boy conditions, while differences between Chief placements were insignificant.

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