Feel the Way with a Vibrotactile Compass: Does a Navigational Aid Aid Navigation?
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| Title: | Feel the Way with a Vibrotactile Compass: Does a Navigational Aid Aid Navigation? |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Weisberg, Steven M., Badgio, Daniel, Chatterjee, Anjan |
| Source: | Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. May 2018 44(5):667-679. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2018 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) National Institutes of Health (DHHS) |
| Contract Number: | SBE1041707 F32DC015203 R01DC012511 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Navigation, Equipment, Tactual Perception, Stimuli, Interior Space, Equipment Utilization, Performance, Spatial Ability, Questionnaires, Pretesting, Statistical Analysis, Regression (Statistics) |
| Geographic Terms: | Pennsylvania |
| DOI: | 10.1037/xlm0000472 |
| ISSN: | 0278-7393 |
| Abstract: | Knowing where north is provides a navigator with invaluable information for learning and recalling a space, particularly in places with limited navigational cues, like complex indoor environments. Although north is effectively used by orienteers, pilots, and military personnel, very little is known about whether nonexpert populations can or will use north to create an accurate representation of an indoor space. In the current study, we taught people 2 nonoverlapping routes through a complex indoor environment, with which they were not familiar--a university hospital with few windows and several turns. Along 1 route, they wore a vibrotactile compass on their arm, which vibrated continuously indicating the direction of north. Along the other route, they were only told where north was at the start of the route. At the beginning, the end, and back at the beginning of each route, participants pointed to well-known landmarks in the surrounding city and campus (external landmarks), and newly learned landmarks in the hospital (internal landmarks). We found improved performance with the compass only for external landmarks, driven by people's use of the availability of north to orient these judgments. No such improved orientation occurred for the internal landmarks. These findings reveal the utility of vibrotactile compasses for learning new indoor spaces. We speculate that such cues help users map new spaces onto familiar spaces or to familiar reference frames. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 45 |
| Entry Date: | 2018 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1178431 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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