Quantitative Research in Proxemic Behavior1

Proxemics is the study of how man structures microspace, how he relates physically to other persons with whom he is interacting, and what is communicated by these physical relationships. Edward Hall, who coined the term “proxemics” and devised a system of notation for recording proxemic behavior, reports many impressionistic observations on Arab and American proxemic differences. To test these hypotheses systematically, 32 Arab and American college students were observed under controlled conditions and their proxemic behavior recorded. The Arabs and Americans were found to differ significantly in proxemic behavior, the Arabs interacting with each other closer and more directly than Americans, as hypothesized.