Children's personal space as a function of age and sex.

Gathered measures of personal space from 74 children (ages 3, 5, and 7) when they approached boys or girls of their own age. A significant difference was found between the 3-yr-olds (who kept less distance from their age peers) and the 5- or 7-yr-olds. No other differences attributable to age were found. For all Ss, the sex of the interacting child was relevant in that less distance was kept from girls than from boys. Results are discussed in the light of learning and developmental processes. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)