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V Sinclair

Publications and source records attributed to V Sinclair.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Architectural features and perceptions of community residences for people with mental retardation.

Architects, group home administrators, people with mental retardation, family members of people with mental retardation, and college undergraduates substantially agreed regarding the rated homelikeness of slides of interiors of 20 community residences for people with mental retardation ranging from institutional to homey, mean r = .87. Clusters of physical features identified using an architectural inventory were found to be associated with homelikeness ratings. Adjectives applied to rooms with these features were determined using a Q-sort method. Two factors were identified from Q-sort correlations: Homelikeness-Institutionality and Spatial Organization as well as a third variable, privacy.

Adolescent

Interdependence of architectural features and program variables in community residences for people with mental retardation.

In an earlier study, we found that architects, group home administrators, people with mental retardation, family members of people with mental retardation, and college undergraduates rated the homelikeness of slides of community residences for people with mental retardation similarly. In addition, clusters of physical features were identified that were specifically associated with homelikeness ratings. In the present study, behavior of residents with mental retardation living in those residences was assessed using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and direct behavioral observations. After statistically controlling for confounding variables, we found that adaptive and maladaptive behavior covaried with homelikeness ratings. In addition, we were able to identify associations between specific architectural features of residential settings and the behavior of residents living in those settings.

Activities of Daily Living