Identify the type of interpersonal physical distance during a formal parent teacher meeting
A. Intimate distance (up to 18 inches)
B. Personal distance (18 inches to 4 feet)
C. Social distance ( 4-10 feet)
D. Public distance (10 feet onwards)
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
Edward Hall, an anthropologist, mentioned four kinds of interpersonal physical distance, depending on the situation:
• Intimate distance (upto 18 inches) : The distance you maintain when you are talking privately to someone, or interacting with a very close friend or relative.
• Personal distance (18 inches to 4 feet) : The distance you maintain when you are interacting one-to-one with a close friend, relative, or even with someone not very close to you in a work setting or other social situation.
• Social distance (4 to 10 feet) : The distance you maintain when the interaction is formal, and not close. During a formal parent teacher meeting, the interpersonal physical distance is typically social distance. Social distance is the distance that people maintain when they are interacting in a formal setting.
• Public distance (10 feet to infinity) : The distance you maintain in a formal setting, where there is a large number of persons. For example, the distance of an audience from a public speaker, or a teacher in a classroom.