Cognitive maps of environmental knowledge and preference in nursing home patients.

Two studies examined cognitive maps of environmental knowledge and preference shown by nursing home patients. In study I, knowledge of the nursing home environment was investigated. Age was found to be negatively related to accuracy in identifying the locations of slide-depicted scenes. Also, patients who had lived several years in the nursing home were less able to identify the locations than were students who received a five-minute exposure to each area. Variable identification performance across areas was determined to be the result of relative visual distinctiveness rather than differential familiarity. Study II examined preference structures for different areas of the nursing home. Patients indicated a marked preference for their own room relative to common areas. Two different models of nursing design were suggested: 1) a social facilitation model emphasizing the allocation of a large proportion of space to common areas, and 2) an ethological model emphasizing preferences of patients for more private space.