The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Perceptions of Distance
Restricted (Penn State Only)
Author:
Miller, Karen
Area of Honors:
Industrial Engineering
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Matthew B Parkinson, Thesis Supervisor Sanjay Joshi, Honors Advisor
Keywords:
personal space proxemics COVID-19 perception threat
Abstract:
This objective of this study is to provide insight into the changing perceptions people hold towards their environment and how this has been affected by the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses a web-based survey in which participants indicated their comfort level with scenarios presented to them graphically. Each scenario depicted two individuals in various combinations of face coverings, COVID-19 pod status, interpersonal distance, and presence of distance measurements. The study also investigates how differences in threat level affect perceived comfort. Results of the study show that the presence of masks and being inside ``COVID-19 pods'' both significantly increase comfort levels. As distance between individuals increases from 3~ft to 9~ft (1~m to 3~m), average comfort levels significantly increase. Annotations indicating the distance also increased average comfort level compared to scenarios where the distance between individuals was not specified. Additionally, participants who feel some level of threat are significantly more uncomfortable than those who felt safe and result in larger deviations when comparing between distances shown and hidden.
