Dormitory Architecture Influences

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a two-part study on the influence of dormitory architecture on patterns of social relations among college undergraduates. The first part investigates how dormitory architecture affects patterns of freshman acquaintance. Traditional proximity-social relation theory is refined to enable directional predictability of acquaintance patterns through use of the concepts "shared required paths" and "domains of acquaintance." The second part studied whether these freshman acquaintances evolved into more meaningful relationships such as friendship and rooming groups over the remaining years of college life. Time is specifically evaluated as an intervening variable in persistence of social relationships.