Abstract
To examine the effect of E. T. Hall's interpersonal distances on verbal productivity and self-reported anxiety, 36 interviewees of both sexes were interviewed by two females at three distances. Personal, social, and academic topics were discussed in each 15-min. interview and sequence of topics was controlled. Anxiety was least at the 5-ft. intermediate distance and greatest while discussing personal matters. Verbal productivity increased as the interview progressed, and men talked more than women. Academic topics produced less anxiety and elicited longer utterances. A moderate correlation was noted between verbal productivity and state anxiety measures. The experiment supports, in part, the Argyle-Dean equilibrium theory of intimacy.
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