Abstract
Several studies have evaluated the distribution of visuo-spatial attention in a wayfinding task, using gaze direction as an indicator for the locus of attention. We extended that work by evaluating how visuo-spatial attention is modified by wayfinding practice. Young and older participants followed prescribed routes through a virtual city on six trials. Each trial was followed by a route recall test, where participants saw screenshots of intersections encountered, and had to indicate which way to proceed. Behavioral and gaze data were registered in those tests. Wayfinding accuracy increased from trial to trial, more so in young than in older persons. Total gaze time, mean fixation time, and the vertical scatter of fixations decreased from trial to trial, similarly in young and older persons. The horizontal scatter of fixations did not differ between trials and age groups. The incidence of fixations on the subsequently chosen side also did not differ between trials, but it increased in older age. We interpret these findings as evidence that as wayfinding practice increased, participants gradually narrowed their attentional focus to the most relevant screenshot area, processed information within this focus more efficiently, reduced the total time in which attention dwelled on the rejected side of the screenshot, but maintained the total time on the chosen side. These dynamic changes of visuo-spatial attention were comparable in young and older participants. However, it appears that decision-making differed between age groups: older persons’ attention dwelled longer on the chosen side before they made their choice.
Highlights
Finding one’s way in an unfamiliar building or city can be quite challenging
Significant differences between age groups emerged for Visual Patterns Test (t(34) = − 5.134; p < 0.001; ŋ2 = 0.437), Direction Sequence Test (t(34) = − 3.955; p < 0.001; ŋ2 = 0.315), and Landmark Sequence Test (t(34) = − 2.602; p < 0.05; ŋ2 = 0.166) as young persons performed better than older ones, and for mobility I (Zcorrected = 3.224; p < 0.01; ŋ2 = 0.229), as young persons used cars less often than older ones
We investigated the relationship between wayfinding practice and visuo-spatial attention, which we operationalized as gaze direction
Summary
Finding one’s way in an unfamiliar building or city can be quite challenging. A number of studies have quantified the cognitive demand of wayfinding with the dual-task approach. In accordance with established dual-task reasoning, these results indicate that wayfinding competes with the other task for cognitive resources, mainly for resources related to visuo-spatial processing, and mainly. Another group of studies evaluated the cognitive demand of wayfinding by registering gaze position, an indicator for the locus of visuo-spatial attention. The horizontal scatter of gaze fixations was larger than the vertical scatter, and varied from intersection to intersection (Wiener et al, 2012) This suggests that the relevant information for direction choices was broadly distributed along the horizontal dimension. Before participants chose the direction to proceed, they directed their gaze mainly at locations which were relevant for wayfinding
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