Development of Personal Space in Preschool Children as a Function of Age and Day-Care Experience

Summary

Personal space of 101 preschoolers ranging from 25 to 62 months of age was measured when each sat on a bench already occupied by a boy or girl age-mate. Two important developmental relationships were found: (a) 25- to 42-month-olds kept much greater distances than 43- to 62-month-olds did, and (b) gender differences emerged as a function of time in day care, so that girls came to keep smaller distances than boys did. These results suggest that the developmental trend of personal space begins with a reduction in distance and is influenced by experience, particularly sex-role factors.