Practical Insights
Practical Insights
Interpersonal space
Interpersonal space can be thought of as the socially negotiated gap we keep between ourselves and others. Several bands have been proposed122: intimate (< 0.5 m), personal (0.5 -- 1.2 m), social (1.2 -- 3.7 m) and public (> 3.7 m). These boundaries vary123 depending upon culture, relationship status, crowd density and task. For example, East Asian norms tolerate closer proximity than Northern European. In immersive environments, a consideration of interpersonal space can be important for issues such as comfortable avatar spacing124 and queue management.78
Peripersonal space
Peripersonal space has been referred to as the "multisensory interface between the individual and environment."125 It's an invisible bubble of space, perhaps extending 60cm from the body, in which the brain processes objects/events differently from those farther away.126 Within this space the brain continuously fuses vision, touch, proprioception and threat cues to guide reaching, manipulation and self-protection.