The five types of perceptual spaces are visual, auditory, olfactory, thermal, and tactile. Visual perceptual space is seen through our eyes. Auditory perceptual space is what we hear through our ears. Olfactory is classified as our sense of smell. Thermal deals with outside temperature. Finally, tactile refers to our sense of touch. These perceptual spaces help us analyze interactions and the formation of relationships amongst human beings.
Visual perceptual space can be classified as one of the first we use in any given situation. Because of its wide scope, people can analyze a situation from afar without conducting any interpersonal interaction. The closer a person is to an object the more they are able to take in more detailed information. For example, a person going to a job interview may look professional from a greater distance, but up close, upon visual inspection, the perception of this person may change. It should be taken into consideration that this situation only involves visual perceptual space and none of the others. Visual perceptual space is, therefore, the most frequent perceptual space we are involved in.
Auditory perceptual space can also be classified as one of the first we use in any given situation. Auditory perceptual space also has a wide scope, but it also depends on the loudness of the object emitting the sound. Because of this, auditory space can act as a distancing agent or proximity agent. If something is emitting a loud sound we can analyze we want to further investigate the source of the sound or if we don’t want to interact with it. For example, somebody is being obnoxiously loud with disregard to other people. If someone is in search of a quiet space to relax, they may analyze what’s going on and they may decide not to interact with this person. On the other hand, if something is emitting a low sound, out of curiosity, we may want to investigate what the source is trying to communicate. For example, if someone is whispering we may be inclined to try to pay more attention to try and understand the message that is being communicated.
Olfactory is the sense of smell. Olfactory also has the capability to have a wide scope. The concentration of the scent may determine from what distance we can communicate with the object that is giving off the scent. A sweaty person may give off a strong smell. This may trigger people to stay at a distance because the smell is discomforting. A person with perfume may be more approachable since they smell better. Even if the person is visually pleasing, and is not obnoxiously loud but they smell bad, people may find it harder to interact with the person.
Thermal perceptual space refers to the outside temperature. This perceptual space allows us to communicate with the environment. This, in turn, affects the way we interact with others. For example, weather during the winter in Syracuse is usually cold. If someone outside is seen in shorts and a t-shirt, we are more prone to draw up inferences about that person’s state of mind. In this instance weather is affecting the way we interact in our visual perceptual space.
Tactile perceptual space refers to our sense of touch. Touch can be considered the most intimate of interactions with others. For example, if a person smells, is not visually pleasing, is obnoxiously loud, and thermal perceptual space heightens the negative personal interaction with this person, we are more likely to not accepting tactile interaction from this person. On-the-other-hand, a handshake between to people that respect themselves is commonplace. Tactile can, thus, be considered the perceptual space with the smallest scope. All other criteria from the other perceptual spaces must be met in order for a person to allow tactile interaction. If this is not the case, we may be in violation of tactile interaction.
