Ann Sloan Devlin

Health Care Environments and Patient Outcomes A Review of the Literature

This review of the literature on health care environments and patient outcomes considers three research themes: patient involvement with health care (e.g., the role of patient control), the impact of the ambient environment (e.g., sound, light, art), and the emergence of specialized building types for defined populations (e.g., Alzheimers patients). The article also describes the challenges presented in doing high-quality research focused on health care environments and contrasts the contributions made by two different traditions: architecture and behavioral science. The implications of managed care and opportunities for research are considered.

Interactive wayfinding : use of cues by men and women

Abstract To test the effectiveness of seven different kinds of wayfinding information used by men and women, 277 first-time visitors to a college campus, 126 men and 151 women, were randomly assigned to one of seven different types of cue information in viewing a computer simulation of a campus tour. Participants then took a computer ‘test’ using the same touch-screen computer monitor. Results indicated that men made significantly fewer errors than women on the wayfinding test and were significantly more confident that they could find their way than were women. Men also generally preferred the use of visual-spatial cues more than did women. Overall, participants who were exposed to textual directions (with or without reference to landmarks) or a plain map made significantly more errors than those who had photos supplementing the text or landmarks supplementing the map. Participants exposed to the two map conditions were significantly more confident that they could find their way in the simulation test than those in the five other conditions.

Housing for the Elderly Cognitive Considerations

A post-occupancy evaluation of highrise versus garden apartment housing was carried out with 77 residents of two highrise and two garden apartment public housing complexes for the elderly. The studys primary purpose was to assess the impact on satisfaction and coping ability of an array of design configurations and features, such as spatial layout and corridor discriminability, suggested by an information-processing theoretical framework. Findings indicate that design solutions do influence residents degree of disorientation, perception of hazards, and provide different kinds of satisfactions. Court residents derive satisfaction from physical aspects of ground-level design and proximity to nature, while highrise residents experience greater attentional demands and confusion but have a supportive social environment.

Sense of community in housing for the elderly

The promotion of a psychological sense of community by environmental factors was investigated in this study. Psychosocial factors in high-rise and garden apartments in public housing for the elderly were compared using the Sheltered Care Environment Scale (SCES), the Sense of Community Index (SCI), and a structured interview. Residents of garden apartments were found to have a significantly greater overall sense of community than were those in high-rise apartments as determined by the SCI. Garden apartment residents also indicated greater sense of membership, a factor related to community. Significant differences in cohesion among residents in the two high-rise apartment buildings studied suggest that variables other than the physical environment may contribute to cohesive behavior. One such variable, the presence of a community leader, demands more research. Self-disclosure was found to be the possible cause of conflict among residents in the high-rises. The necessity of qualitative interviews in social research is discussed.

Psychiatric Ward Renovation: Staff Perception and Patient Behavior

Environmental improvements including new day hall furniture, plants, wallpaper and paint, and brighter lighting were carried out on four wards of a 40-year old state psychiatric facility. Staff on these wards rated environmental variables pre- and post renovation; behavioral mapping data for both patients and staff were also collected on one of those wards pre- and post renovation. Results indicate significant pre-post improvements in the ratings of day hall furnishings and plants. Significant main effects for ward were found in a number of environmental variables, reflecting the less demanding nature of the patient population and greater administrative support on these wards. Behavioral data showed a significant decrease in patient stereotypy and a preference for more private seating areas in the day hall following renovation.

Racial Identity of Children in Integrated, Predominantly White, and Black Schools.

Fourth-grade children in three school settings (integrated, Black, and White) were assessed by 3 methods: the Draw-A-Person test, the spontaneous self-concept test, and the picture test. The effect of schools population on a childs racial identity was studied. The children in the integrated school setting mentioned race and ethnicity significantly more often than did children in either of the other two settings. The children from both the integrated and the predominantly White schools also chose more friends from the outgroup than did the children in the predominantly Black school. The children in the non-integrated schools disliked other races more. All groups chose their own race when asked to indicate which child looked most like them. Contrary to the research hypothesis, the children in the predominantly White school produced drawings that depicted their race more obviously than did children from either of the other schools.

Biographic and Personal Characteristics of Women in Management.

Abstract Ninety-five women managers from around the United States volunteered to complete a personality and biographic survey. The results of the Bem Sex Role Inventory and the Attitudes Toward Women Scale reveal that most of the women were androgynous or masculine in their gender-role orientation and had highly egalitarian views of womens role in society. They shared a number of biographical correlates. The majority were from middle class families, had close relationships with their parents, had mothers who were employed outside the home, had mostly male role models, and played a sport in their youth. The findings were compared to models of career choice developed by Farmer (1985) and Fassinger (1985, 1990) .

Academic Major, Environmental Concern, and Arboretum Use.

This study investigated the relationships between academic major, environmental concern, and the presence of a campus arboretum. Twenty-seven men and 43 women from a small liberal arts college, ages 18-36, completed a series of surveys including the Environmental Preference Questionnaire (EPQ), the Environmental Concern Scale (EC), and the New Ecological Paradigm scale (NEP). As hypothesized, environmental studies majors scored significantly higher on all measures of proenvironmental concern and preferences than did economics majors or students of other academic disciplines. Environmental studies majors were significantly more likely to value and to use the arboretum than were the other groups. Results are discussed in terms of the relationships between education, environmental concern, and behavior.

Residence Hall Architecture and Sense of Community Everything Old Is New Again

This study of almost 600 students examines the relationship between sense of community and college dormitory architecture on the campus of a small residential liberal arts college in the Northeast. Respondents of all class years completed an online survey that included the Sense of Community Index and the Relationship dimension of the University Residence Environment Scale. Students also rated architectural characteristics about their dorms and provided background information. Results indicate significant differences in sense of community related to dormitory design, in particular a lower sense of community in dorms that are organized around clusters or suites. At the same time, these units in clusters are judged to be more positive in terms of basic architectural components, including thermal comfort, adequacy of bathrooms, and storage. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations to enhance a sense of community through design.

Gender-role and housing preferences

Abstract This study was conducted to determine whether relationships exist between gender-role and housing preferences. One hundred and thirteen undergraduate students, 76 women and 35 men (2 subjects did not record their sex) completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory ( Bem, 1981 ), a background questionnaire, and rated two sets of housing stimuli for residential preference. One set of eight houses was developed by Kinzy ( Langdon, 1982 ), the other set of six houses was used previously by Nasar (1989) . Kinzys eight houses comprised Modern, Contemporary, Mediterranean, Tudor, Farm, Colonial, Early American and Ranch styles, whereas Nasars were a Contemporary, Mediterranean, Tudor, Farm, Colonial, and Saltbox. The results of this study reveal some support for the relationship between gender-role and housing preference, as well as some indication of the kinds of housing styles people prefer (and dislike). Related to house style preferences, the results also indicate that architectural renderings of a particular house style can influence these preference judgments. Additional findings point to the fact that the kind of locale (suburban/rural or urban) in which ones family resides can influence housing preference. Some indication of regional preference differences also emerged.