Relationship of size to resident and staff behavior in small community residences

The daily behavior of 240 mentally retarded residents and 75 staff members was analyzed in relation to facility size (ranging from 6 to 20 residents) and other environmental variables. For the 20 group homes studied, staff behavior was remarkably homogeneous and generally unrelated to facility characteristics. In contrast, resident behavior differed significantly across group homes. In larger facilities, residents engaged in more social behavior, particularly with peers, and were more likely to have intense, reciprocal friendships than were those in smaller facilities. Despite more enriched staff:resident ratios in the smaller homes, amount of staff-resident interaction was not related to size. Overall, other environmental variables--such as location and social grouping--were more closely associated with observed behavior patterns than was size.