The Effect of Mobile Navigation Factors on Wayfinding Performance and Spatial Knowledge Acquisition

Jiang Yu; Han Xuechen; Li Huimin; Wu Jiaxin; Fang Huicong

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240607

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Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (6) : 1351-1362. DOI: 10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240607

General Psychology，Experimental Psychology & Ergonomics

The Effect of Mobile Navigation Factors on Wayfinding Performance and Spatial Knowledge Acquisition

Jiang Yu, Han Xuechen, Li Huimin, Wu Jiaxin, Fang Huicong

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Abstract

Wayfinding is a crucial process for individuals to navigate and explore their environment in daily life. Compared to the traditional use of paper maps, modern navigation aids have been found to hinder individuals' spatial knowledge of their environment. Previous research has shown that navigation factors, such as navigation mode and scale, impact how individuals perceive and process spatial information. For example, the user-aligned mode helps individuals form an egocentric representation of space, while the north-on-top mode promotes the formation of an allocentric representation. Additionally, small-scale maps assist in establishing spatial relationships between objects using an allocentric representation, while large-scale maps provide a perspective of nearby space, facilitating an egocentric representation. However, there is a trade-off between wayfinding performance and spatial knowledge acquisition. To address this trade-off, this study aims to investigate which combination of navigation factors best supports spatial knowledge acquisition. Previous research has limitations, such as not controlling for scale as an independent variable and lacking a measurement task that assesses all three types of spatial knowledge. To address these gaps, this study established a measurement task for each type of spatial knowledge and used two scales (1:50 and 1:200) as independent variables, while continuing to include the commonly-studied north-on-top and user-aligned modes. The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of mobile navigation factors (navigation mode, scale) on individuals' wayfinding performance and spatial knowledge acquisition in a virtual 3D environment, considering the factor of gender.
In Experiment 1, 96 participants (48 males, 48 females) were recruited. Participants were first required to complete a virtual spatial task consisting of two phases: wayfinding and return. After completing all ten routes, the participants were required to complete the spatial knowledge test, which consisted of five tasks such as landmark recognition and route sequencing tasks. The scores from these tests were collected and analyzed, and three factors were extracted using factor analysis. Building on the typical measurement task defined in Experiment 1, Experiment 2 employed a 2 (scale: small scale 1:200, large scale 1:50) x 2 (navigation mode: user-aligned mode, north-on-top mode) x 2 (gender: male, female) between-subjects design. The dependent variables in this experiment were participants' scores on the spatial knowledge measurement task and wayfinding performance. The number of participants was 96 (calculated by G-power), and the experimental procedure was the same as in Experiment 1. Experiment 2 revealed the following: there were significant interactions between gender and navigation mode in route knowledge acquisition. Specifically, males performed significantly better in the north-on-top mode compared to the user-aligned mode, while the opposite was true for females. On large-scale maps, the user-aligned mode was more conducive to route knowledge acquisition than the north-on-top mode, aligning with an egocentric representation. Conversely, on small-scale maps, the north-on-top mode was more convenient than the user-aligned mode, aligning with an allocentric representation. A main effect of navigation modes on wayfinding performance was observed, with subjects' wayfinding performance being better in the user-aligned mode than in the north-on-top mode. The results of both experiments indicated an interaction between navigation mode and scale: combinations of navigation factors that suit the individual can help individuals establish a consistent spatial frame of reference, thereby enhancing the acquisition of route knowledge.
The innovations of this article are as follows. First, this study has refined the spatial knowledge measurement task and established a comprehensive measurement task for three types of spatial knowledge, thus providing new ideas on how to reduce measurement errors and conduct measurements systematically and efficiently. Second, based on the spatial reference framework theory, this study found that the influence of mobile navigation factors on spatial knowledge learning and wayfinding performance is conditional. When navigation factors facilitate individuals to process environmental information with a consistent reference framework, it promotes the acquisition of route knowledge.

Key words

wayfinding performance / spatial cognition / mobile navigation / spatial knowledg

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Jiang Yu, Han Xuechen, Li Huimin, Wu Jiaxin, Fang Huicong. The Effect of Mobile Navigation Factors on Wayfinding Performance and Spatial Knowledge Acquisition[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2024, 47(6): 1351-1362 https://doi.org/10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240607

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