CHARACTERISTICS OF HUMAN SPATIAL BEHAVIOR

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the concept of spatial representation and spatial behavior. During the study, we compared these concepts, identified their differences and the relationship between the two concepts, outlined the conceptual boundaries of the phenomenon under study. As a result, we concluded that the proximal behavior is due to the age, gender, psychological, interpersonal, and socio-cultural characteristics of the participants in the interaction. The most valuable thing for our article is the fact that different cultures form their own models of building micro- and macro-space.

АННОТАЦИЯ

В данной статье рассматривается понятие пространственной представлении и пространственного поведения. В ходе исследования мы сопоставили данные понятия, выявили их различия и взаимосвязи двух понятии, очертили понятийные границы изучаемого феномена. В результате мы пришли к выводу, что проксемное поведение обусловлено возрастными, половыми, психологическими, межличностными и социокультурными характеристиками участников взаимодействия. Наиболее ценным для нашей статьи является тот факт, что в различных культурах формируются свои модели построения микро - и макропространства.

Keywords: space, spatial representation, spatial behavior, microspace, macrospace, thinking, proxemics

Ключевые слова: пространство, пространственное представление, пространственное поведение, микропространство, макропространство, мышления, проксемика

It is obvious that spatial representation and spatial behavior are different, but interdependent concepts: abstract spatial concepts of a person affect his orientation in space and, conversely, the use of the environment affects his general spatial representations. The development of the selected objects is due to the influence of many factors: individual (physical, cognitive, socio-emotional) characteristics and characteristics of the physical, cultural environment [L.S. Liben, 1981: 10-17].

The problem of non - identity of spatial behavior to spatial representation was posed by Zh . Piaget, who for the first time began to distinguish between the "practical" space associated with the ability to act, and the "conceptual" space associated with the ability to represent space. He proved this by the fact that the successful, skillful movement of children in space does not mean that they have a system representing this space. For example, the ability of children to maintain a vertical or horizontal position does not mean that they possess conceptual concepts about horizontal and vertical coordinate axes [J. Piaget, 1970; J. Piaget, D. Inhelder, 1956].

Spatial behavior refers to sensorimotor activity in the environment (manipulation of objects, self-displacement, etc.) and the use of space at the interpersonal level. Spatial representation can be in the form of spatial products (products — external manifestations of space, graphic and linguistic), spatial thinking (thought — the process of thinking connected or using space in any way, characterized by awareness and reflexivity) and spatial memory (storage - stored information about space). The content of spatial representations has a concrete or abstract character, i.e. it appears in the form of an individual's knowledge of specific places (knowledge of the environment), or in the form of abstract concepts about space. If, for example, we ask children to reproduce the external forms of their home, school and playgrounds, and reveal their knowledge about their hometown, then the content of these representations will have a specific character. If we are interested in general spatial ideas (the ability to use reference systems and preserve distances, understanding topological relationships, etc.) (the experience of Piaget and Inhelder, 1956), then the content of the representations will be abstract.

A wide range of spatial behavior (namely, the use of space at the interpersonal level, as part of communicative behavior and as a cultural phenomenon) is included in the concept of proxemics - a special science, the name of which was given by the American anthropologist E. Hall in association with the image of "proximity". Proxemics studies how a person unconsciously constructs a microspace (i.e., a space separating him from others) and organizes space in houses, buildings, cities (i.e., a macrospace) [E.Hall, 1963: 1022]. It can take into account ways of obtaining information about what others think by evaluating their behavior according to the degree of proximity to them, as well as theories about the use of space by a person as a special achievement of culture [O.G. Prokhvacheva, 2000: 7-8].

A number of researchers note the inheritance of a lot in the proximal behavior of humans from animals, since the perception of space by a person, in their opinion, is primarily due to his animal origin. In human society, as in the animal world, there is a law of territoriality, according to which each individual allocates to itself a certain territory with clearly defined boundaries within the living space that it shares with other representatives of the species. A territory is defined as that part of space to which an individual animal or group of animals has exclusive rights and protects it from invasion by other animals belonging to the same biological species [R. Ardrey, 1966: 3]. Unlike a space that has no visible boundaries and is correlated with the concepts of personal or life space, the territory assumes the presence of visible boundaries and is associated with certain types of human activity.

In addition, a person establishes the same types of distances in relationships with other people as animals in their world. In the process of human evolution, the distances characterizing the relations between individuals of different species ("flight distance" and "critical distance") were eliminated, but personal and social distances ("personal distance" and "social distance") (between individuals of the same species) were preserved. Personal distance refers to the "minimum" distance by which individuals can approach each other" [G. Hediger, 1955: 83], and social unites the members of the group, separating this group from other animals.

The distance between the participants of communication largely depends on the national and cultural characteristics of the country or region. For example, in American culture, strict distance is very important when communicating, setting the boundaries of personal space up to inches, which is not present in Russian culture [O.G. Prokhvacheva, 2000]. Latin Americans, unlike North Americans, feel comfortable talking to each other at close range, which is unacceptable for the latter, since their intimate distance is not connected with friendly conversation [V.I. Karasik, 1992: 44]. By E. There are 4 typical communication distances, each of which will have its own minimum and maximum option.: 1) intimate distance (emotionally charged zone, characteristic of the manifestation of love, protection, consolation, used in communication between the closest people), 2) personal distance (characteristic of informal contacts between friends), 3) social distance (approximately 1.2 m to 3.5 m - the usual distance between acquaintances, as well as strangers, is characteristic of business conversations, the school situation in the classroom), 4) public distance (the distance characteristic of one-sided communication of the lecturer with the audience) [E. Hall, 1969:116-125].

It is noticed that people with high status occupy more space than people who are aware of their subordinate position. So, the lower ones often pull their heads into their shoulders and press their elbows when walking. Some traditionally masculine poses in the Western European cultural area (standing with arms akimbo, legs shoulder-width apart) are considered an application for more space and having a large degree of inner freedom. People try to protect their personal space in any social situations (by looking away, looking into "space", muscle tension, gesture such as crossed arms, etc.), and cases of intrusion into it by strangers cause hostility. To mitigate the invasion of foreign territory, etiquette and in some cases ceremonial forms are used. For example, many appeals to strangers begin with apologies: "sorry", "sorry", "excuse me", "sorry to both you", etc., breaking the protective layer of silence that surrounds a person. If this is followed by a signal that the person is ready for dialogue ("That's OK", "Yes, what is it?"), then the initiator of communication can move on to the essence of the matter.

Contact distances can be traced both in language and in various paralinguistic manifestations. On the one hand, each type of communication is characterized by special appeals, phrases, connotations. On the other hand, proximal behavior is also determined by nonverbal means of communication - phonational (features of pronunciation of sounds, intonation, timbre and volume of voice) and kinetic (gestures, mimic and pantomime movements). So, according to E. Hall, there are certain norms of voice volume for communicative distances. At an intimate distance, as a rule, a quiet voice or a whisper is used, while at a personal distance, the average volume of the voice is maintained. At the same time, the relativity of this concept should be taken into account, its dependence on the personal, social and national characteristics of speakers (for example, Americans speak quieter than Arabs, Kazakhs, Spaniards, Russians, but louder than the British, belonging to the upper class of society, and the Japanese) [E. Hall, 1966: 121]. A person perceives space also by sense of smell and touch. Here we mean all kinds of smells and touches, which are also largely due to the national, class and age characteristics of the participants in communication. For example, an American's personal space is violated if he finds himself in the zone of perception of the smell of another person with whom he is not in a close relationship, which is considered permissible for an Arab (ibid., 49).

Thus, the proximal behavior is determined by age, gender, psychological, interpersonal and socio-cultural characteristics of the participants in the interaction. The most valuable for our article is the fact that different cultures form their own models of building micro- and macro-space.

References:

1. Ardrey R. The Territorial Imperative. A Personal Inquiry into the Animal Origins of Property and Nations. New York: Atheneum. 1966.390 p.
2. Hall E. A system for the notation of proxemic behavior // American Anthropologist. 1963. No 65. P. 1003 - 1026.
3. Hall E. The Hidden Dimension. New York: Anchor Books, 1966.
4. Hediger H. Studies of the Psychology and Behavior of Captive Animals in Zoos and Circuses. London: Butterworths, 1955.
5. Liben L.S. Spatial Representation and Behavior: Multiple Perspectives // Spatial Representation and Behavior across the Life Span: Theory and Application / Ed. By Liben L.S. N.Y.: Acad. Press, 1981. P. 5-23
6. Карасик В.И. Язык социального статуса. М.: Ин-т языкознания РАН, 1992.330 с.
7. Нұргелді Уалиев. Қазақтың этнографиялық категориялар, ұғымдар мен атауларының дәстүрлі жүйесі. https://adebiportal.kz/kz/books/view/854
8. Прохвачева О.Г. Лингвокультурный концепт «приватность» (на материале американского варианта английского языка): Дисс. ... канд. филол. наук. Волгоград, 2000. 223с.