Spatial decision dynamics during wayfinding: intersections prompt the decision-making process

Intersections are critical decision points for wayfinders, but it is unknown how decision dynamics unfold during pedestrian wayfinding. Some research implies that pedestrians leverage available visual cues to actively compare options while in an intersection, whereas other research suggests that peo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inCognitive research: principles and implications Vol. 3; no. 1; pp. 1 - 19
Main Authors Brunyé, Tad T., Gardony, Aaron L., Holmes, Amanda, Taylor, Holly A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cham Springer International Publishing 02.05.2018
Springer Nature B.V
SpringerOpen
Subjects
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Decision making
Experimental Psychology
Experiments
Gender
Information seeking behavior
Navigation
Navigation behavior
Neurosciences
Original
Original Article
Psychology
Spatial cognition
Visual stimuli
Wayfinding
Decision-making
Navigation
Spatial cognition
Wayfinding
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Intersections are critical decision points for wayfinders, but it is unknown how decision dynamics unfold during pedestrian wayfinding. Some research implies that pedestrians leverage available visual cues to actively compare options while in an intersection, whereas other research suggests that people strive to make decisions long before overt responses are required. Two experiments examined these possibilities while participants navigated virtual desktop environments, assessing information-seeking behavior (Experiment 1) and movement dynamics (Experiment 2) while approaching intersections. In Experiment 1, we found that participants requested navigation guidance while in path segments approaching an intersection and the guidance facilitated choice behavior. In Experiment 2, we found that participants tended to orient themselves toward an upcoming turn direction before entering an intersection, particularly as they became more familiar with the environment. Some of these patterns were modulated by individual differences in spatial ability, sense of direction, spatial strategies, and gender. Together, we provide novel evidence that deciding whether to continue straight or turn involves a dynamic, distributed decision-making process that is prompted by upcoming intersections and modulated by individual differences and environmental experience. We discuss implications of these results for spatial decision-making theory and the development of innovative adaptive, beacon-based navigation guidance systems.
ISSN:2365-7464
2365-7464
DOI:10.1186/s41235-018-0098-3