title: Wayfinding through an unfamiliar environment.
abstract: Strategies for finding one's way through an unfamiliar environment may be helped by 2D maps, 3D virtual environments, or other navigation aids. The relative effectiveness of aids was investigated. Experiments were conducted in a large, park-like environment. 24 participants (12 men, 12 women; age range = 22-50 years; M=32, SD = 7.4) were divided into three groups of four individuals, who explored a 2D map of a given route prior to navigation, received a silent guided tour by means of an interactive virtual representation, or acquired direct experience of the real route through a silent guided tour. Participants then had to find the same route again on their own. 12 observers were given a "simple" route with only one critical turn, and the other 12 a "complex" route with six critical turns. Compared to three people familiar with the routes, among the naive participants, those who had a direct experience prior to navigation all found their way again on the simple and complex routes. Those who had explored the interactive virtual environment were unable to find their way on the complex route. The relative scale representation in the virtual environment may have given incorrect impressions of relative distances between objects along the itinerary, rendering important landmark information useless.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche, Scientifique UMR 5508 FRE 2027, Université de Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Yasmine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Boumenir
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Georges
authors.forename: Jeremie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valentin
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rebillard
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dresp-Langley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001245:Association Learning; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004215:Distance Perception; D005260:Female; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation; D012931:Social Environment; D012984:Software; D013028:Space Perception; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D016138:Walking; D055815:Young Adult