Oxytocin's Impact on Interpersonal Distance and Empathy

Perry Aim: Examine whether OT has a differential effect on preferred interpersonal distance

depending on the individual's empathy. Find if empathic individuals preferred closer distance

while low empathy wanted further distance. Sample: 54 males, undergrads at Haifa, 19 to 32 years old

Repeated measures design Procedure: Completed Experiment 1 or 2 exactly one

week apart. Randomly assigned OT or placebo group and administered by them in the presence

of an experimenter by intranasal drops. OT or saline solution. (Double Blind: Neither experimenter or

participant knew which one they received) Participants completed the Interpersonal reactivity Index

test to assess empathy. Waited 45 minutes so OT could plateau in comfy quiet rooms with magazines