EDAC Environmental Psychology in Healthcare 3

Question 1

Which aspect of environmental psychology is most directly addressed by providing patients with control over room temperature?

Accepted Answer

Perceived control, which reduces psychological stress and improves coping

Answer

Perceived control over one's environment is a powerful psychological buffer against stress; even small controls like temperature adjustment reduce patient anxiety.

Question 2

How does 'territoriality' affect patient behavior in shared healthcare rooms?

Accepted Answer

Patients in shared rooms experience reduced sense of personal space, increasing stress and reducing privacy-related compliance

Answer

Reduced personal territory in shared rooms increases psychological stress and can decrease medication and treatment compliance due to privacy concerns.

Question 3

EBD research on sensory overload in ICUs suggests that design should prioritize:

Accepted Answer

Reducing auditory and visual stimuli to levels that support rather than disrupt patient recovery

Answer

ICU patients are acutely vulnerable to sensory overload from alarms, light, and activity; reducing excess stimuli supports recovery and reduces delirium.

Question 4

What does the 'stress response model' (Ulrich, 1991) predict about healthcare environments?

Accepted Answer

Restorative environments activate parasympathetic responses that reduce stress and support immunity

Answer

Ulrich's model posits that restorative environments — with nature, control, and social support — shift patients from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominance, accelerating healing.

Question 5

According to EBD principles, why are curved rather than angular corridors sometimes preferred in psychiatric and dementia units?

Accepted Answer

Curved pathways feel less institutional, reduce aggression, and encourage wandering-safe movement

Answer

In psychiatric and dementia design, curved corridors reduce dead-ends and create more homelike, less institutional aesthetics that lower patient agitation.

EDAC - Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification Practice Test

EDAC - Evidence-Based Design Accreditation and Certification Practice Test

EDAC Environmental Psychology in Healthcare 3