The influence of sex of the approached child on the personal space of the approaching child

Personal space was studied in 2nd Grade children in terms of sex of the approaching child and similarity or dissimilarity of the seated pair. Eight children of the same sex sat one on each bench at its edge. Their places were marked with cellotape. Two batches each of four boys and four girls approached them and sat on the benches. Their places on each occasion were again marked with cellotape. After cencelling ‘8’ from random number sheets, the distances between the strips of cellotape were measured.Personal space did not vary between boys and girls. This is consistent with Nigerian cultural norm which allows close personal space between males and between females. Same-sex personal space was smaller than opposite-sex personal space. This was attributed to sexual awareness and preference for their sex by the children which is also in tune with Nigerian cultural practice.