Next, the question remains why seating distance is associated with children’s social relationships.
According to intergroup contact theory, people are more likely to interact when they are physically
close, which results in reciprocal acceptance and appreciation (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998;
Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). When applying this theory to the school context, the underlying mechanism
would be that children are able to interact and collaborate more with classmates who sit next to them
or sit in the same group. As a result, they get to know each other better and perceive each other more
positively. Future studies should examine whether factors such as cooperation would mediate or
amplify the association between physical proximity and classroom peer relationships.
It could also be that seating distance is associated with liking and popularity due to mere exposure
or visibility; when children sit close to each other, they literally see each other more frequently and
are exposed to each other more often. As a result of this enhanced exposure, they like each other better.
If that is true, facing each other would be an important moderator of the association between
physical proximity and affect. For instance, children who sit in the same group and face each other
would like each other more than children who sit behind each other. Moreover, if children face each
other, they are more likely to talk and build a relationship. In the current studies, we examined physical
closeness irrespective of children’s ability to face each other. Future studies should examine