To simplify what George says a bit (hopefully), the only thing that affects perspective is distance to subject. Focal length is irrelevant in determining perspective. The confusion comes in that although focal length does not affect perspective, it can affect how close you stand to a given subject, and that alters perspective. Generally, you can be closer to a subject with a wide lens, leading to the mistaken conclusion that wide lenses have an 'exaggerated' perspective - it's not the focal length, it's the proximity to the subject. The wide angle lens merely allows you to capture the whole subject from that close distance, whereas with a telephoto lens you'd need to stand much further away.