We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Physical Distance and AIDS: Too Close for Comfort?
- Authors
Mooney, Kim M.; Cohn, Ellen S.; Swift, Margaret B.
- Abstract
The purpose of the study was to assess attitudes toward AIDS as measured by physical distance. Fifty-two female students were told that they would be interviewing an AIDS patient, a homosexual, a cancer patient, or another student. While waiting, they arranged the two chairs for the interview. The distance between chairs was measured. Subjects placed the chairs significantly farther apart when they anticipated interviewing an AIDS patient than when they anticipated interviewing people under the other conditions. The results suggest that people are still uncomfortable with AIDS patients even under casual circumstances that require minimal physical contact. Implications for social interactions are discussed.
- Subjects
AIDS; SOCIAL interaction; AIDS patients; INTERPERSONAL relations; GAY people; CANCER patients; INTERVIEWING; INTERGROUP relations; STUDENTS
- Publication
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 1992, Vol 22, Issue 18, p1442
- ISSN
0021-9029
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1559-1816.1992.tb00959.x