Improving Route Directions: The Role of Intersection Type and Visual Clutter for Spatial Reference
Baltaretu,Adriana-Alexandra Krahmer,Emiel Maes,Alfons
Baltaretu,Adriana-Alexandra
Krahmer,Emiel
Maes,Alfons
Abstract
In this study, we ask whether references to paths and landmarks in route directions (RDs) are influenced by environmental complexity, zooming in on two aspects of the visual surroundings, namely intersection structure and visual clutter. Speakers are asked to produce (Experiment 1), understand (Experiment 2) and evaluate (Experiment 3) turn-by-turn RDs in a naturalistic setting (Google Street View panoramic pictures). We find that increased levels of visual clutter and intersections with complex structures trigger more references to landmarks and paths when participants produce RDs, longer decision times to determine what the next correct step in a route is and increased preference for landmarks. Finally, we discuss possible implications for automatic RD generation.
Description
Date
2015-07-14
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Keywords
landmarks, visual clutter, complex intersections, route directions, referring expressions
Citation
Baltaretu, A-A, Krahmer, E & Maes, A 2015, 'Improving Route Directions : The Role of Intersection Type and Visual Clutter for Spatial Reference', Applied Cognitive Psychology, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 647-660. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3145