Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 1983, Vol. 9, NO. 3,325-327 PERSONAL SPACE: AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF MARITAL QUALITY D. Russell Crane nxas Tbch University William Griffin Auburn University Personal space, a research area common to social psychology, is a dimension of interpersonal behavior potentially useful in assessing marital relationships. Personal space has been extensively researched and has been found to be smaller for husband-wife dyads than for same sex and opposite sex dyads (Hill, Blackman & Crane, 1982). The purpose of this study was to test the relevance of the personal space concept when applied to marital relationships. Positive results would yield preliminary data on an objective measure of marital quality. METHOD Subjects students. Subjects were 24 married couples recruited primarily from clients (22) of practicum Measures The Marital Status Inventory (MSI) is a Guttman-type scale designed to evaluate a couple’s divorce potential. Scores on this true-false inventory range from 0 to 14, with higher scores meaning greater instability (e.g., Crane & Mead, 1980). The Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment nst (MAT) is a widely used measure of a couple’s marital adjustment and has been used to distinguish distressed from non- distressed couples (e.g., Birchler & Webb, 1977). TheAreas of Change (AOC) questionnaire yields an amount of conflict score (range 0 to 68) with 15 believed to discriminate distressed from non-distressed couples (Vincent, Weiss & Birchler, 1975). The Couples’ Stop-Distance Space Measure has been widely used in the study of personal space (e.g., Hill et al., 1982). This measure was taken by asking each couple to stand some distance apart and then approach each other and stop at “a comfortable conversation distance.” The distance between the couple’s closest toes was then mea- sured. This measure is reliable and was recommended as the best measurement technique for personal space in a recent review of the field (Hayduck, 1978). The Couples’ Chair Placement Space Measure was taken by having the couple remove two chairs from a larger stack and place them on the floor. Then, the distance D. Russell Crane, PhD, is an Assistant Professor, Marital and Family Therapy, Department of William Griffin, PhD, is an Assistant Professor, Marital and Family Therapy, Department of Home and Family Life, Texas %ch University, Lubbock, TX 79409. Family and Child Development, Auburn University, Auburn, AL. July 1983 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY 325