Cognitive Sciences Division, University of Potsdam, Karl‑Liebknecht‑Straße 24‑25, House 14, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 27;12(1):12777. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-16730-1.
Peripersonal space is the space surrounding our body, where multisensory integration of stimuli and action execution take place. The size of peripersonal space is flexible and subject to change by various personal and situational factors. The dynamic representation of our peripersonal space modulates our spatial behaviors towards other individuals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this spatial behavior was modified by two further factors: social distancing and wearing a face mask. Evidence from offline and online studies on the impact of a face mask on pro-social behavior is mixed. In an attempt to clarify the role of face masks as pro-social or anti-social signals, 235 observers participated in the present online study. They watched pictures of two models standing at three different distances from each other (50, 90 and 150 cm), who were either wearing a face mask or not and were either interacting by initiating a hand shake or just standing still. The observers' task was to classify the model by gender. Our results show that observers react fastest, and therefore show least avoidance, for the shortest distances (50 and 90 cm) but only when models wear a face mask and do not interact. Thus, our results document both pro- and anti-social consequences of face masks as a result of the complex interplay between social distancing and interactive behavior. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.
个体空间是环绕我们身体的空间，在这里，刺激和动作执行的多感觉整合发生。个体空间的大小是灵活的，并受到各种个人和情境因素的影响而发生变化。我们个体空间的动态表示调节了我们对其他个体的空间行为。在 COVID-19 大流行期间，这种空间行为受到另外两个因素的影响：社交距离和戴口罩。关于口罩对亲社会行为影响的离线和在线研究的证据相互矛盾。为了阐明口罩作为亲社会或反社会信号的作用，235 名观察者参与了本项在线研究。他们观看了两个模特站在彼此三个不同距离（50、90 和 150 厘米）的图片，模特们要么戴着口罩，要么不戴口罩，要么通过握手来互动，要么只是站着不动。观察者的任务是通过性别对模特进行分类。我们的结果表明，观察者对最短距离（50 和 90 厘米）的反应最快，因此回避程度最低，但只有当模特戴口罩且不互动时才会如此。因此，我们的结果记录了口罩作为社交距离和互动行为复杂相互作用的结果所产生的亲社会和反社会的后果。讨论了这些发现的实际意义。
