title: Route complexity and simulated physical ageing negatively influence wayfinding.
abstract: The aim of this age-simulation field experiment was to assess the influence of route complexity and physical ageing on wayfinding. Seventy-five people (aged 18-28) performed a total of 108 wayfinding tasks (i.e., 42 participants performed two wayfinding tasks and 33 performed one wayfinding task), of which 59 tasks were performed wearing gerontologic ageing suits. Outcome variables were wayfinding performance (i.e., efficiency and walking speed) and physiological outcomes (i.e., heart and respiratory rates). Analysis of covariance showed that persons on more complex routes (i.e., more floor and building changes) walked less efficiently than persons on less complex routes. In addition, simulated elderly participants perform worse in wayfinding than young participants in terms of speed (p < 0.001). Moreover, a linear mixed model showed that simulated elderly persons had higher heart rates and respiratory rates compared to young people during a wayfinding task, suggesting that simulated elderly consumed more energy during this task.
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Health Psychology, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: e.zijlstra@pl.hanze.nl.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zijlstra
authors.affiliation: University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Health Psychology, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mariët
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hagedoorn
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Krijnen
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cees P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: van der Schans
authors.affiliation: Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Mobach
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D056152:Respiratory Rate; D065854:Spatial Navigation / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Hospital environment; Physical ageing; Route complexity; Simulation; Wayfinding