Clothing as a symbol of status: Its effect on control of interaction territory

Abstract

Based upon status ratings by 154 adults, three types of attire (clothing typical of a student, a priest, and a businessman) were selected for use in a field study investigating control of interaction territory. Two male confederates, one neatly but casually dessed, the other dressed as a student, priest, or businessman, were situated in a department store doorway either 42 or 54 in. apart. During half of the 600 observations, the confederates were conversing. At the close distance, people tended to detour around all dyads; neither attire nor conversation affected the number of territorial invasions. At the far distance, shoppers frequently invaded the space between the nonconversing confederates; when conversing, however, dyads with a member dressed as a priest or businessman (higher status ratings) detoured significantly more shoppers than the dyad with a member dressed as a student (lower status rating). The results indicate that cues to the status of one’s social role provided by attire are important determinants of the sanctity of one’s interaction territory. © 1978, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.