Out of Sight Further from Mind

Abstract

This research assessed the effects of the visibility of destinations on perceived distance to them. Fifteen pairs of outdoor sites on The Ohio State University campus were selected such that two buildings, one visible and one hidden, were equidistant from each and such that for each pair of sites, the building visible from one was hidden from the other. At each site, one male and one female were asked to estimate the distance to each building, to tell which was further away, and to indicate their familiarity with each building. For distance estimates by the full sample, a marginally significant effect in the expected direction emerged. For males, the estimated distances to visible buildings were significantly less than to hidden ones. For females, no significant difference emerged. Buildings judged as more familiar were rated as significantly closer. With familiarity controlled, male estimates of distance were affected by visibility; for the full sample, more individuals selected the visible building as being closer.