A systems analysis of groups implies that strengthening the social bonds among group members should increase their spatial cohesion, that is, moving to avoid an invasion of the group's space. Male and female subjects (N = 48) received false information that a female confederate had very similar or dissimilar opinions. Afterward, subjects walking down a hallway with the confederate had to respond to a potential invasion of the dyad. Male subjects showed more protection of the group space in similar than in dissimilar conditions, but females showed uniformly high spatial cohesion. These results are interpreted as supporting the systems analysis.
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