DRS2012 Bangkok Proceedings Vol 4 - Design Research Society

Kristof VAES, Achiel STANDAERT, Pieter Jan STAPPERS, Werner COPPIETERS
Variable 3 – Interpersonal distance: This variable was the main focus of our experiment
and was conscientiously derived from the combined overhead camera images. The wall
against which our confederate leaned served as the zero mark for our distance
measures. As portrayed in Figure 6 we intended to measure the distances between the
zero mark and the passer-by at three points in the walking-trajectory. Differences
between the distances at WD1 (Walking Distance 1) and WD3 provided us with an
indication of the explicitness of the avoidant walking behavior. In this article we only
address the interpersonal distance at WD3, which is the shortest distance between the
confederate (zero-mark) and the passer-by. When a passer-by was aligned with this
mark, the video-image was paused and the distance between the center of the head and
the zero mark was assessed with the help of a grid-overlay. This grid, with an accuracy of
25mm, was positioned over the composed and aligned images of three overhead
cameras, one exactly above the confederate and two consecutive ones in the direction of
the entrance. To increase the accuracy, measurements were taken from this ‘zoomed-in’
image.
4. Results
Figure 6
Variable 3: Deriving the walking distance between the zero-mark and the passer-by
Two hypotheses were examined after the data were gathered. The hypotheses are linked
to the detection and measurement of explicit behavioral responses, namely staring
behavior (moment of perception and looking back) and avoidant walking behavior
towards a wearer of a potentially stigmatizing dust mask. Our first hypothesis predicts that
a person who wears a dust mask is perceived significantly faster, which could in return be
an indication of heightened alertness or self-protection of the passer-by. Our second
hypothesis forecasts that a passer-by will maintain a greater (safer) walking distance
when our confederate is wearing a dust mask. In addition it would be interesting to
discover significant behavioral differences in any of the three parameters, related to the
two mask conditions and related to the gender of the participants or confederates.
Prior to the validation of our hypotheses, we examined whether the gender of the
confederate or passer-by had the potential of influencing any of our three parameters. For
each of the three conditions (no-mask / blue mask / white mask) the experiment was
executed with both a male and a female confederate.
After analyzing the results of 87 male and 82 female passers-by, we noted a similar
distribution of the results among male and female passers-by and confederates when it
came to the two staring variables (moment of perception and looking back). A chi-square
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