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Convergent validity of personal space measures: Consistent results with low intercorrelations

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Abstract

Low correlations among personal space measures have been used as evidence against their convergent validity. This argument is analyzed and found limited to personality trait assumptions. Convergent validity more generally concerns whether findings from one measure generalize to other measures. In the present study 91 subjects completed three measures (a disguised interaction distance, figure placement distances, and the Comfortable Interpersonal Distance Scale) under different conditions of subject sex, sex of the other person, and acquaintance with the other person. The three measures showed an average intercorrelation ofr = .034, but consistent significant effects of acquaintance. These findings demonstrate that convergence of findings may be obtained even when measures are not highly correlated. The search for convergent validity should concentrate on the generalizability of findings rather than correlations among measures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Community Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 54302, Green Bay, WI

    Eric S. Knowles (Professor of Urban Studies and Psychology and Chairman of Psychology)

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  1. Eric S. Knowles
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The author thanks Jan Beyer, Terri Bouressa, Lynn Brud, Pui Bunnag, Julia Coppedge, Randy Fleming, Barb Gallagher, Steve Hansen, Joe Hilke, Marcia Hostetter, Beth Lemke, Bridget Mader, Brian Maloney, Mary Martin, David Mueller, Michael Paprocki, Debra Rindt, Jan Salzmann, Caryn Schneider, Sonja Stefaniw, Cheryl Strong, and Kathy Wolf for conducting the study and assistance in writing the manuscript.

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Knowles, E.S. Convergent validity of personal space measures: Consistent results with low intercorrelations. J Nonverbal Behav 4, 240–248 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00986200

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