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USING INDICES OF HAPPINESS TO EXAMINE THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENTS FOR NURSING HOME RESIDENTS WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Author(s) -
Moore Kimberly,
Delaney Jennifer A.,
Dixon Mark R.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.2007.40-541
Subject(s) - happiness , affect (linguistics) , psychology , nursing homes , disease , gerontology , population , clinical psychology , medicine , nursing , environmental health , social psychology , communication , pathology
The present study extends the growing behavioral literature on indices of happiness for persons with developmental disabilities to the geriatric population. Data on indices of emotional affect (i.e., happiness) were collected prior to, during, and after each resident was exposed to environmental enhancement activities of various durations. Results showed that every activity improved each resident's level of happiness when compared to pre‐ and postactivity levels. These outcomes suggest that indexing affect may be as useful for nursing home residents as it has been for individuals with developmental disabilities.