TY - JOUR
T1 - How pathways' configuration impact wayfinding in young and older adults
AU - Merhav, Maayan
AU - Fisher-Gewirtzman, Dafna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Wayfinding capabilities stem from interactions between cognitive processes and environmental elements. Previous studies that have attempted to improve human wayfinding by architectural designs mainly focused on environmental cues for supporting landmark-based navigation. The current study, however, tests whether wayfinding can be improved by strengthening route learning. We hypothesized that relying on route-target associations is easier if each target is accessed via a specific route, rather than through several alternative paths. Accordingly, we predicted that in a star-shaped design of pathways in which the center of the star serves as the origin of the routes and the arms of the star host the destinations, it would be easier to form route-target associations, than in pathway configurations in the shape of a grid, wherein each target can be accessed via several paths. Furthermore, as older adults show selective impairments in landmark-based navigation, and tend to over-rely on route strategies, we hypothesized that star-shaped configurations will particularly support wayfinding in older adults. To test these hypotheses, younger (n = 68) and older (n = 60) adults performed a virtual-navigation task in an environment comprised of either a “grid” or “star” configuration of pathways. Our findings indicate that wayfinding performance in older adults was inferior to that of younger adults, regardless of the design. Yet, navigational performance in the star-shaped condition was better compared to the grid-shaped design, in both age-groups, proposing that star-shaped configurations of pathways strengthen route-based navigation. The findings therefore suggest that wayfinding could be improved through architectural designs that strengthen route-learning.
AB - Wayfinding capabilities stem from interactions between cognitive processes and environmental elements. Previous studies that have attempted to improve human wayfinding by architectural designs mainly focused on environmental cues for supporting landmark-based navigation. The current study, however, tests whether wayfinding can be improved by strengthening route learning. We hypothesized that relying on route-target associations is easier if each target is accessed via a specific route, rather than through several alternative paths. Accordingly, we predicted that in a star-shaped design of pathways in which the center of the star serves as the origin of the routes and the arms of the star host the destinations, it would be easier to form route-target associations, than in pathway configurations in the shape of a grid, wherein each target can be accessed via several paths. Furthermore, as older adults show selective impairments in landmark-based navigation, and tend to over-rely on route strategies, we hypothesized that star-shaped configurations will particularly support wayfinding in older adults. To test these hypotheses, younger (n = 68) and older (n = 60) adults performed a virtual-navigation task in an environment comprised of either a “grid” or “star” configuration of pathways. Our findings indicate that wayfinding performance in older adults was inferior to that of younger adults, regardless of the design. Yet, navigational performance in the star-shaped condition was better compared to the grid-shaped design, in both age-groups, proposing that star-shaped configurations of pathways strengthen route-based navigation. The findings therefore suggest that wayfinding could be improved through architectural designs that strengthen route-learning.
KW - Cognitive aging
KW - Navigation
KW - Neuro-architecture
KW - Route learning
KW - Spatial-cognition
KW - Virtual reality
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165072848&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102065
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102065
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AN - SCOPUS:85165072848
SN - 0272-4944
VL - 90
JO - Journal of Environmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Environmental Psychology
M1 - 102065
ER -