VTechWorks Repository :: Browsing by Author "Marshall-Baker, Anna"

Browsing by Author "Marshall-Baker, Anna"

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Comparing the Effectiveness of Computer Simulation on Computer Monitor vs. Virtual Reality as Communication Tools in Interior Design
Lee, Jongran (Virginia Tech, 1998-10-16)
Computer simulations have developed as communication tools in interior design. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of two types of computer simulation: passive walk-through animation of an interior design on the PC monitor and immersive walk- through of the same interior design in the CAVETM. This effectiveness was decided in terms of communicating basic visual information, such as visual forms, spatial relationships, colors, and textures. Sixty voluntary subjects chosen from faculty, staff, and graduate students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University were tested experimentally and interviewed. The interior design of the Visualization and Animation Laboratory in the Advanced Communications and Information Center, which is under construction on the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, was simulated by the two types of computer simulation and shown to the participants. This study found that the simulation in the CAVETM was more effective than that on the PC in terms of communicating information about visual forms and spatial relationships in interior design. However, the PC was more effective in communicating information about colors. In terms of textures, no difference was shown. The simulation in the CAVETM appears to have more of a three-dimensional perception and makes people feel as if they were actually present in the space. Both technologies can have a role for general introduction to interior spaces. However, people gain more information in the CAVETM simulation.
Computers in the design process: comparing creativity ratings of interior design solutions using pencil-based and computer-based design methods in schematic development
Brandon, Lynn (Virginia Tech, 1994-11-12)
Computer-aided design has been integrated into the design process primarily in the latter stages as a drafting tool for detailing and accuracy rather than incorporated into the early stages as a design tool for enhancing ideational fluency. Pencil-based design (i.e., hand drawing and sketching) has traditionally been the graphic medium in the ideation process to aid in externalizing and manipulating designers' ideas. The early, creative design phases require the design medium that is used during schematic ideation yield to the deSigner's needs in generating, communicating, and evaluating ideas (Marshall, 1992). The integration of the computer-based method into schematic ideation may impact the design process by possibly affecting the designer's creative abilities and the resulting creative aspects of the design solution. This study examined the products of creativity to determine if differences exist in creativity ratings of design solutions generated using two design methods - pencil-based and computer-based - in the preliminary design phases. Interior design students (n=40) used the two design methods and generated design solutions for a small restaurant project. An established instrument was used by eight design educators to evaluate the design solutions on creathlity and six other design merit aspects. The process of creativity was also examined and the perceptions of the interior design students were assessed regarding the use of the deSign methods and the influences on creativity.
Design of a device to provide visual stimulation to infants confined in incubators
Marshall-Baker, Anna (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1986)
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of providing stationary and nonstationary visual stimuli to preterm infants by designing a device that met basic hospital safety requirements and fit within the incubator. A sample of 20 preterm infants were observed. Differences in responses between baseline, stationary, and nonstationary conditions were recorded using state, focal point, time attending, heart and respiratory rates. Each infant was observed on two separate days. Each observation period was divided into three 2-minute segments. On the intervention day, data were collected in a baseline, stimulus, stimulus sequence. On the nonintervention day, only baseline data were collected in the three 2-minute time· segments. Parametric and nonparametric analyses revealed significant differences in state, focal point, and heart rate between observation days. Results of state, focal point, and heart rate indicate a response to the stimulus during the first stimulus exposure period. Significant effects in state, focal point, time, period, and heart rate during the second exposure period indicate an orienting response. It is suggested that after a period of response and reorganization, the infants were able to orient to the device during the second exposure period. These results also suggest that this visual stimulation device may be helpful in long-term visual stimulation studies and interventions.
Design of Early Ordinaries and Taverns in Montgomery County, Virginia from 1773 to 1823
Duncan, Edith-Anne Pendergraft (Virginia Tech, 2000-04-07)
The Wilderness Road, starting in Big Lick (Roanoke today) was a primary route over the Allegheny mountains for travelers migrating to the Kentucky frontier. Ordinaries and taverns (referred to as public houses) were known to offer food and lodgings to travelers in the state capital city of Richmond, but little is known about what, if any, accommodations were available to these settlers headed westward through southwest Virginia. With the first stops along the Wilderness Road being in Montgomery County, this study sought to determine if public houses existed in this county between the years 1773-1823, and if so, where were they located and who operated them. Further, what was the typical design or plan of public houses and how would they have been furnished. What comparisons could be made between public houses in Richmond and on in southwest Virginia. County court records, including wills, appraisals, licensing records, and court order books revealed that public houses not only existed, but also there were often as many as 5 or 6 operating at one. A license had to be purchased each year from the court and names of proprietors were recorded. These listings also helped to identify structures standing today that once served as a public house. On site observations along with WPA (Work Projects Administration) reports and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources surveys documentation of historic houses in the county offered notable similarities in design and plan among five former houses selected for this study. Wills and appraisals provided some clues about furnishings. The result of this study adds an important chapter to the story of public houses in early Virginia history.
Development of a Communication Tool to Support the Preschool Interior Design Process
Beacham, Cindy Viola (Virginia Tech, 1999-03-04)
This study was designed to investigate the need for a communication tool to support child development professionals, design professionals, and parents in the preschool design process. Guided by the theoretical perspectives of Gardner and Bronfenbrenner, this research examined the need for a support tool in the design process, the format and content of such a tool, and the evaluation of a tool developed using the data as an organizing structure. The following research questions guided this study: (a) Is a tool or support document needed to help educate and support communication between child development professionals, parents, and design professionals in the early phases of designing a preschool facility?, (b) What are the format and content issues that need to be addressed and included in developing such a tool?, and (c) How would child development professionals, design professionals, and parents comment on the usefulness of an educational/communication tool? A multi-method data collection procedure was used to gather the data for the study. A focus group was conducted to ascertain general information from child development professionals, design professionals, and parents about their opinions and perceptions of the design process as a result of their personal experiences. Following the focus group, 13 interviews were conducted with different individuals, but representative of the same three populations. Upon completion of the interviews, the data were used as an organizing structure for the writing of a communication tool to aid in the design process of preschool facilities. The tool was then sent to 26 individuals for feedback using a questionnaire requesting responses about the need, content, and format of the document. The results of this study showed that a support tool that fostered greater communication between child development professionals, design professionals, and parents was needed. Responses to the focus group and interviews also indicated that the format of the tool should be paper-based, or in book form, and that the themes identified in the responses should guide the content of the tool. Questionnaire responses confirm that the tool developed was an appropriate document that provided important information for the respondents.
Development of an interior design guideline for preschool spaces
Beacham, Cindy V. (Virginia Tech, 1996-05-03)
The purpose of this study was to compare the responses of interior designers, architects, and child development professionals to statements regarding preschool spaces and, from those responses, determine spatial characteristics to be included in a guideline to aid in the design of childcare facilities. The sample for this study consisted of design and child development professionals working in their respective fields in Virginia, North Carolina, and the Washington Metropolitan area. Responses were gathered using a mail survey which included a variety of questions about preschool spaces. Analyses of the forty-eight Likert scale questions from the questionnaire using a one-way ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences in the responses of the groups in twenty-five instances. These differences concerned private spaces for children, adequacy of information available about children's needs, food preparation facilities, and spaces for support activities. In many other instances, only the level of disagreement with particular statements was significantly different. Frequency analyses of four questions concerning identification of the five most important spatial characteristics from given lists again indicated general agreement among design and child development professionals. The characteristics identified as most important for inclusion in preschool spaces were: safety, flexibility, creative opportunities, density, varied play opportunities, anthropometrics, visual access to outdoors, acoustics, varied lighting, security, temperature controls in each room, signage, furniture safety, comfort, durability, maintenance, varied surface levels, design supporting children's competency, varied play spaces, spaces offering physical and mental challenges, and child-sized toilets. cCharacteristics viewed differently by design and child development professionals tended to be issues that were specific to the discipline such as anthropometries (design) or provision of cooking facilities for children (child development). A recommendation for a preliminary design guideline was made that included all characteristics viewed as important to either design or child development professionals. Implications of this research and recommendations concerning future investigations are included.
The effect of a visual stimulus on behavioral state and visual responsiveness in preterm infants
Marshall-Baker, Anna (Virginia Tech, 1991)
Behavioral organization in infants can be characterized by the integration and coordination of component behaviors over time, mediated in part by emerging nervous system activity. This study evaluated the organization of behavioral states and the percentages of time spent in particular behavioral states by preterm infants. In addition, the effects of visual stimulation on the organization of behavioral state and on the development of the visual skills in preterm infants was assessed. Twenty preterm infants were observed at the time of admission and discharge from the intermediate unit of a neonatal intensive care unit. Behavioral state was recorded and visual responsiveness assessed on both occasions. For one group of infants, a striped visual stimulus was placed in their incubators following the initial observation, and removed at the time of the second observation. A second group of control infants received no exposure to the visual stimulus. Results revealed that infants who were exposed to a visual stimulus significantly decreased the number of state changes they experienced and had significantly higher visual responsiveness scores than infants who were not provided a visual stimulus. The amount of increase in the percentage of time spent in Quiet Sleep and increase in the state stability score, a measure of consistency among behavioral states, was nominally higher for infants who were exposed to the visual stimulus than for infants who were not allowed exposure to the visual stimulus. These findings indicate that visual stimulation can influence the development of visual responsiveness in preterm infants. Furthermore, exposure to a visual stimulus appears capable of extending the amounts of time that preterm infants spent in particular behavioral states, thus reducing the number of state changes they experience. The significance of these findings is discussed in terms of preterm intervention procedures. In addition, the possible importance of self-regulation of sensory input for preterm infants and the clinical implications of low and high state stability scores are discussed.
Effects of Auditory Stimulation in Low and High Light Conditions on Behavioral and State Organization in Preterm Infants
Strunk, Pia Christina (Virginia Tech, 2001-12-07)
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of multi-modal stimulation (differing amounts of light and vocal stimulation) on preterm infants' behavioral and state organization. Specifically, we looked at the effects that supplemental vocal stimulation (taped female voice) had when varied in amount of exposure (three times a day versus once a day) and when provided in different lighting conditions ("typical illumination" versus "decreased illumination"). Forty infants were placed in one of four groups: Standard Illumination/High Voice (SIHV), Standard Illumination /Low Voice (SILV), Decreased Illumination/High Voice (DIHV) and Decreased Illumination/Low Voice (DILV). Infants receiving standard illumination were exposed to the vocal stimulus in standard NICU lighting conditions (approximately 20 lux), whereas infants in the "low" lighting conditions were exposed to the stimulus in darkened conditions (approximately 3 lux). Infants receiving high vocal stimulation listened to a taped female voice three times a day, whereas infants receiving low vocal stimulation were exposed to the voice only once a day. Each infant received 10 minutes of exposure per session over five consecutive days. Infants were videotaped in their incubator for 10 minutes before, during, and after the stimulus exposure (total of 30 minutes) for each day. The videotapes were then scored on the infant's frequency of stress related behaviors and self-regulatory behaviors before, during, and after the stimulus for each day. Results indicated that both lighting levels and vocal stimulation altered preterm infants' stress and self-regulatory behaviors, and that these effects were dependent on both the day and the stimulus condition the infant was in. In addition, the vocal stimulation and lighting levels had an effect on the states that infants exhibited during and after the presentation of stimulation. These results suggest that the occurrence of different types and amounts of stimulation have an effect on behavioral organization of the preterm infant, and these effects are highly dependent on both history and context in which this stimulation is presented
Effects of Group Interactive Brainstorming on Creativity
Park-Gates, Shari Lane (Virginia Tech, 2001-07-16)
Corporations spend a great deal of time and money trying to facilitate innovation in their employees. The act of introducing something new, a product or a service that is viable and innovative is often increased by enhancing or nurturing creativity.This experimental study investigated the effect of group verbally interactive brainstorming (social interaction) on creativity, not by comparing the number of ideas generated on a simple task in a brainstorming session, but by assessing creativity in the final product of a complex heuristic task. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of group interactive brainstorming to individual brainstorming on individual creativity assessed in the final product.The hypothesis which was tested in this study was that participation in group verbally interactive brainstorming prior to developing a design solution would not facilitate creativity in the final product more than individual brainstorming. Indeed, it was hypothesized that individuals brainstorming in teams.Participants were 36 interior design students in a FIDER accredited program at Virginia Tech. The Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure (MSFM) was administered before beginning the experiment in order to determine individual differences in creativity. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment group than participated in group verbally interactive brainstorming prior to developing a product individually, or a control group that participated in an individual brainstorming session. All subjects then created a design project individually that was assessed for creativity by judges who were recruited from professional interior design organizations. Creativity was measures using the Consensual Assessment for Interior Design Creativity (Barnard, 1992). A post session questionnaire also was used to measure attitudes and perceptions of the subjects about the creative process.Analysis of variance revealed no significant differences when creativity scores were compared between two brainstorming groups. That is, projects developed by interior design students did not differ significantly in creativity systematically between the two brainstorming techniques. When scores on the two dependent variables of secondary interest (novelty and appropriateness) were compared between groups they also did not differ significantly.Responses to post-session questionnaires indicated that although students found it more difficult to generate ideas in a group, they still believed they would generate more ideas and preferred to generate ideas in a group rather than alone. However, when developing a project students preferred to work independently.This study supports past research which suggests that group verbally interactive brainstorming does not enhance creativity. In this study, interactive brainstorming neither enhanced nor constrained creativity in the final product. The creativity scores were higher for those in the individual brainstorming condition, although not significantly so. This study also supports findings which indicate that people still believe they will generate more ideas in a group and that they prefer to generate ideas as a group.
The effects of music sound levels on restaurant customer's behavior
Geerdes, Margaret (Virginia Tech, 1995-05-05)
Restaurant attributes influence the perceptions and behaviors of restaurant customers. Among these attributes are music and its sound level. Sound level has been known to affect people's behaviors and judgments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of music sound level on customers in a restaurant, specifically, where they sit and how long they stay. The study took place in a restaurant where customers seat themselves and music sound levels vary across tables. A convenience sample of dinner customers were observed for three weeks. Each week, speakers were placed in different locations causing tables that were originally quiet to become loud. A total of 107 table selections were analyzed using Chi Square tests. The effects of sound levels on length of stay were analyzed using an ANOVA with 36 dining parties. The results showed no significant effect regarding table selection except when speakers were in their usual locations. An explanation of this significant effect may be that regular customers were familiar with the speaker locations and the sound levels of restaurant tables, and therefore, chose tables with lower sound levels over tables with high sound levels. Results from the ANOVA show that the length of stay of customers at high volume tables was significantly less than at other tables. Also, there was a negative correlation between length of stay and sound levels, indicating that the louder the music the earlier customers would leave. These findings may indicate that as customers become familiar with a restaurant's sound levels, tables with high sound levels may be avoided. Also, in high music levels customer leave sooner. The implications may be increasing or decreasing table turns or affecting the satisfaction of regular customers.
The effects of visual barriers on the exiting behavior of residents in a dementia care facility
Dickinson, Joan Ivers (Virginia Tech, 1993-12-05)
Unsafe exits from dementia care units present problems for residents and pose ethical dilemmas for caregivers. The purpose of this experimental research was to determine whether visual barriers reduced the exiting behavior of residents in a long-term care facility. A visual barrier was defined as one that appeared to be an obstruction, but that did not impede egress through the door. The study was conducted in a 30-bed dementia care unit and was limited to the emergency exit door where an alarm sounded each time the panic bar was touched. An “exit" was defined as a resident touching the panic bar and sounding the alarm. The sample consisted of 3 females and 6 males who attempted to exit the unit at least once during baseline condition. All residents were diagnosed with some form of dementia. The tests were conducted under three visual barriers and one baseline condition. Each condition was observed for seven days from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The schedule was as follows: Baseline Condition: No experimental manipulation was used. This observation provided a comparison for the three test conditions. Test Condition 1: Mini-blinds that covered the glazing of the door. Test Condition 2: Cloth panel that covered the panic bar of the door. Test Condition 3: Both the mini blind and the cloth panel. During baseline collection, 9 residents triggered the alarm for a total of 120 attempted exits. Test condition 1 decreased exiting to 73 attempts. During test condition 2, 5 attempted exits occurred, and 18 attempted exits occurred during test condition 3. Statistical analysis included Friedman’s Rank test for correlated samples and Wilcoxon Sign Rank tests for treatment versus control comparisons. Test conditions 2 and 3 significantly reduced attempted exits while test condition 1 was not statistically significant. In conclusion, visual barriers were a safe and effective method for deterring resident exiting for this particular nursing home.
An environmental-behavior evaluation of pediatric clinic waiting room environments
Acevedo, Michelle (Virginia Tech, 1995-02-05)
The purpose of this study was to describe the behaviors of the children and the parents, as well as the perceptions of the parents in pediatric office waiting room environments.
IAWA Newsletter, Fall 1998
McMillan, Gail; Dunay, Donna W.; Bliznakov, Milka T.; Marshall-Baker, Anna; Horton, Inga S. (International Archive of Women in Architecture, 1998)
Fall 1998 No. 10 - Recent Acquisitions: The Work of Sigrid Lorenzen Rupp, Architect - Diversity of Donations: Ten Highlights from the Archive - Lois Gottlieb: Continuing the Legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright - International News - New Advisors for the IAWA Board - Preserving Your Personal and Professional Papers - IAWA Board of Advisors
Identification and Evaluation of Loss and Deviation Models for use in Transonic Compressor Stage Performance Prediction
Cahill, Joseph E. (Virginia Tech, 1997-09-22)
The correlation of cascade experimental data is one method for obtaining compressor stage characteristics. These correlations specify pressure loss and flow turning caused by the blades. Current open literature correlations used in streamline curvature codes are inadequate for general application to high-speed transonic axial-flow compressors. The objective of this research was to investigate and evaluate the available correlations and ultimately discover sets of correlations which best fit the empirical data to be used in streamline curvature codes. Correlations were evaluated against experimental data from NASA Rotor 1-B and NASA Stage 35. It was found that no universal set of correlations was valid for minimum-loss point predictions. The Bloch shock loss model showed promising results in the stall regime for supersonic relative inlet Mach numbers. The Hearsey and Creveling off-minimum-loss deviation angle prediction performed consistently better than all other correlations tested.
Infant attention to rate of infant directed speech in the context of varying levels of visual stimulation
Cooper, Jamie S. (Virginia Tech, 1999-12-03)
Past research has found that infants between 1- and 4-months of age prefer extremely slow infant-directed (ID) speech to normal ID speech. Given that previous studies have paired the speech with a visual display, it was thought that perhaps the characteristics of the visual display affected infant preferences for rate of speaking. The present investigation was an attempt to explore this possibility. In Experiment 1, 3- to 4-month old infants were presented with ID-normal and ID-slow speech samples paired with displays of higher and lower complexity. Here, the results showed that infants preferred ID-slow to ID-normal speech regardless of display complexity. The purpose of Experiment 2 was to determine whether infant preference for speaking rate could be affected by structural differences in the visual displays. The same ID-normal and ID-slow speech samples used in Experiment 1 were paired with visual displays that either had components in a face-like or scrambled arrangement. The results of Experiment 2 showed that infants preferred the face-like display over the scrambled display regardless of what speech type was presented (i.e., there was not preference for ID-slow speech). The results of the study as a whole indicate that young infants prefer ID-slow to ID-normal speech, but that the presence of a face-like image may overshadow this preference. The study as a whole indicates that assertions about the power of ID-slow speech, as well as any auditory event in general, should not fail to address the potential influence of other sensory factors, particularly visual.
Learning Landscapes: Theoretical Issues and Design Considerations for the Development of Childrens Educational Landscapes
Weaver, Lisa L. (Virginia Tech, 2000-06-08)
This study is designed to explore the applied behavioral research available to designers of educational landscapes and determine what aspects of that research can be extracted and applied to a physical landscape design. Its purpose is to create an awareness and understanding of the issues that designers should take into consideration to make an educational landscape design solution more developmentally appropriate for children. The literature review reveals that play forms the common link between learning and child development. The design considerations being presented in this study incorporate play. Being aware of and understanding the developmental and intellectual needs and abilities of children will give designers the foundation to make informed decisions and design choices in the creation of successful children's educational landscapes. The design considerations presented in this study are part of an exploratory investigation attempting to identify direct linkages between developmental/play activities and physical design elements. They offer a framework for creating landscape environments that meet the developmental needs of children. An existing educational landscape, the Jamestown Settlement near Williamsburg, Virginia will be evaluated in terms of these considerations. This educational landscape will be viewed from the perspective of a landscape architect aware of the developmental and play issues that surround child's learning as well as the potential for creating a site that offers a unique landscape experience. The outdoor learning environment is the site of the highest level of children's activity. It represents, at best, a potential site for investigation, exploration and practice of skills at various levels of complexity. At its worst, it is a static collection of objects offering little toward the developmental needs of the child. The landscape designer has the opportunity to provide a unique environment that supports the ways that children learn. The physical landscape has the potential to challenge children, offering choices in sight, smell, sound and touch. The landscape is ever-changing, providing broad learning opportunities where children can learn at their own pace, in their own unique style.
Relamping hotel guestrooms to decrease operating costs
Kieliszewski, Cheryl A. (Virginia Tech, 1996-04-05)
The purpose of this study was to determine if the hotel industry could reduce a portion of its operating costs used for unnecessary lighting expenses. The study was conducted at the Donaldson Brown Center in Blacksburg, Virginia with 32 hotel guests participating. Data was collected to determine light fixture usage during periods of guestroom inactivity (inactive is defined as periods after the guest had checked-in but was out of the guestroom). Two treatment rooms and two control rooms were monitored to determine inactivity of the room, usage of light fixtures, and usage of daylight. Light levels and wattage readings were taken to determine consistency in light levels of the lamps and energy used by the different fixture/lamp combinations in each of the four rooms. One treatment room and one control room were on the east side of the building and the other treatment and control room were on the west side. The test rooms were evaluated to insure that all interior variables (i.e., structural configuration, size, materials and finishes, furnishings, light fixtures, and HV AC system) were controlled. The only features changed in the guest rooms were lamps housed in the fixtures of the two treatment rooms where the ceiling fixtures were relamped with two 16 watt compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and portable fixtures were relamped with one 18 watt CFL. Standard incandescent lamps were used in the control rooms. It was found that the time lights arc left on in inactive rooms can amount to a considerable portion of a hotels operating costs for energy usage. Results show a 64-71 % reduction in energy consumed by CFLs compared to incandescent lamps. Fixtures housed with incandescent lamps cost an average of $.008 per hour to run compared to those lamped with CFLs which cost $.003 per hour to run. Through total or strategic relamping of fixtures, operating costs for electric lighting can be cut by more than 50% and energy resources would be saved. Implemented environmental strategies could then be used as a marketing tool to attract environmentally conscious consumers.
TeacherWork: A Journey to Recast the Reggio Emilia Approach for a Middle School Within the Context of Power, Politics, and Personalities
Hill, Lynn T. (Virginia Tech, 1999-10-13)
The purpose of this study was to focus on a teacher-led school reform initiative. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach for Early Childhood Education and committed to constructivist teaching and learning, a group of Middle School teachers embarked on a journey to plan a new way of thinking and being in a Middle School. This ethnographic study utilized observations, interviews, participant action research, and a variety of field texts to capture the story of these remarkable teachers. This case study chronicles the life and work of thirteen teachers, three administrators and two university faculty members as they struggled to make sense of the planning process that was necessary to launch a reform effort. Particular attention was focused on the power, politics, and personalities that both harmonized and conflicted with the work of these reformers. Analysis revealed a passionate desire on the part of the reformers to change the face of schooling and education for children and for themselves. Conflicting forces in opposition to their best efforts included the lack of adequate time to devote to such a cause, institutional and cultural rituals in the school, and a changing political climate in the town in which the reform was initiated. Despite the barriers, this group has been able to achieve a solid sense of community and has been able to stand together as an articulate, knowledgeable, savvy group of educators on behalf of improved education for children. Strengthening their power base through collaboration with the administrators at their school has escalated their effort to the implementation stage. Sharing vision and responsibility, their dream is coming true. Based on lessons learned in the journey with the teachers a model for exploration of process of innovation in context is proposed.
A Teaching Toy: Free Forms in an Abstract Landscape
Tankel, Jesslyn Elise (Virginia Tech, 1998-08-04)
As a young student, I enjoyed a passion for the studio arts and an interest in art history. I ardently pursued these areas in college, continuing their exploration in graduate school in the field of Industrial Design. For the thesis project, my objective is to foster in children an appreciation for art and, possibly, to help them develop a critical and appreciative eye toward their environment. In my research, I find inspiration in child psychology and the toys of child's play, in 15th-century Islamic art and 20th-century Abstraction, and in naturally occurring events such as ivy twisting up a knotty tree trunk and soft ripples in a pond. The assimilation of these elements, together with the ideas that they generate, evolve into the foundation for my project. My intent is to design a toy which provides children ages six to twelve years with insight into both the world of nature and the realm of art. Further, the toy will heighten each child's visual vocabulary to acknowledge the organic, natural line that exists in nature and which is, perhaps, represented in abstract art. These goals are the guiding principles for my work.
The use of tape patterns as an alternative method for controlling wanderers' exiting behavior in a dementia care unit
Hamilton, Claire L. (Virginia Tech, 1993-05-01)
The number of elderly people moving into long-term care facilities is expected to increase as the population of people 65 and older continues to rise at a significantly high rate. Simultaneously, the number of people expected to be diagnosed with dementia will also increase unless a cure for this devastating disease is found. In the meantime, caregivers face many problems in providing healthy and humane treatments. One such problem that is a major concern for caregivers is controlling wandering behavior. This behavior often places patients in life threatening situations, and the current methods used by many facilities do not promote a high quality of life. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of various tape patterns on the wandering behaviors of residents living in a special dementia care unit in Heritage Hall Nursing Home, Blacksburg, Virginia. Similar studies revealed that alternative methods using tape patterns could reduce exiting attempts at a fire exit door or could possibly increase these attempts. In order to address these inconsistencies, exiting attempts at a fire exit door were recorded during one baseline and two similar test conditions. It was found that exiting attempts was a serious problem in this unit as 40% of the residents attempted to exit the faci I ity during the study. The use of tape patterns reduced exiting attempts by 19.05% and 11.12%; however, this reduction was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the use of these tape patterns affected wandering behavior differently for each of the residents, suggesting that a multi-method approach for controlling exiting behavior may prove to be more successful when dealing with a heterogeneous sample and their multi-needs.

Browsing by Author "Marshall-Baker, Anna"

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