Perry et al. (2015) - Study With Mehar

Aim
To investigate how oxytocin affects preferred interpersonal distance for those scoring high or low in empathy traits.

Background
Dr. Anat Perry is a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who studies empathy and social processes from a social cognitive neuroscience perspective.
Perry et al. wanted to find the effects of oxytocin on people’s preferred interpersonal distances, depending on their level of empathy. They also wanted to test the Social Salience Hypothesis (SSH) and see if giving oxytocin would cause people to process social situations deeply, hence affecting their subsequent behaviour.

The amygdala affects the preferred interpersonal distances, and lesions to this area reduce the need for interpersonal distance from others. There’s high amygdala activity when personal spaces are invaded. The hormone oxytocin affects the amygdala.

The Social Salience Hypothesis (SSH) states that oxytocin increases attention to social cues, leading people to interpret and respond differently based on the situation. A person may feel comfortable in certain situations while another may not.

Psychology Being Investigated
Interpersonal distance = The distance between 2 people, which varies depending on the relationship with the other person, cultural norms, or personal factors. If another enters this personal space, a person may feel uncomfortable or threatened.

Hall (1966) theorised the 4 zones of interpersonal distance: 1) intimate distance for close relationships; 2) personal distance for everyday interactions; 3) social distance for formal interactions; and 4) public distance for public figures.

Empathy = A person’s ability to understand the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of another. The level of empathy a person affects the way they process social cues. Empathy has 2 dimensions: cognitive & affective empathy.
Cognitive empathy = The ability to determine another’s emotional state.
Affective empathy = The ability to ‘feel’ another’s emotional state.
Oxytocin = A social hormone which helps in social bonding, childbirth, and breastfeeding, and promotes prosocial behaviour. Contrastingly, oxytocin also increases envy and hostile feelings towards others.

Scheele et al. (2012) found that giving oxytocin to males in monogamous relationships increased their preferred interpersonal distance with attractive females when in the presence of a female researcher, compared to a control condition.

Sample
56 male undergraduates from the University of Haifa in Israel, aged 19-32 years. They received course credit or payment for their participation. 5 were left-handed; none had a history of psychiatric or neurological conditions, and all had normal or corrected-to-normal eyesight.

Research Method = Laboratory experiment.
Research Design = Repeated measures design.
Independent Variables:

Ps’ level of empathy: high or low.
Whether Ps received the nasal drops with oxytocin or placebo (saline solution). Ps took part in both conditions but alternatively over the 2 weeks.

Dependent variable = Whether oxytocin affected people in different ways depending on their level of empathy.

Procedure
Ps were divided into 2 groups: high or low empathy – this part of the design was independent measures since their classification was dependent on their level of empathy. High or low empathy was operationalised using a 28-item online questionnaire called the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI).
The IRI has 4 seven-item sub-sections, each assessing a different part of empathy. People in the high empathy group (n=20) had scores of 40 and over, while people in the low empathy group (n=20) had scores of 33 or under.

Ps were given the oxytocin and placebo in a randomised order to avoid order effects. The order in which they received each solution was counterbalanced. During week 1 half of the sample were given nasal drops, and the other group, the placebo. During week 2, Ps were given the alternative treatment. The double-blind technique was implemented, so the Ps and the experimenter didn’t know which solutions were administered.

Experiment 1 – A computer animation was used to measure all Ps’ preferred interpersonal distance (DV) from different people (a stranger, an authority figure, and a friend) and an object (a ball) (IV).

Experiment 2 – A computer-based task called ‘choosing rooms’ was used to calculate values for 2 different dependent variables: 1) the mean preferred distance, and 2) the mean preferred angle between different items of furniture in a room. Ps were told the task was to help plan the layout of a room where they’d have a conversation with another Ps about a personal topic. Researchers could compare preferences for the spatial arrangement of the chairs (IV), table and plant (a control condition) to then measure Ps preferred interpersonal distance (DV).