Route complexity and simulated physical ageing negatively influence wayfinding

Emma Zijlstra; Mariët Hagedoorn; Wim P Krijnen; Cees P van der Schans; Mark P Mobach

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2016.03.009

Route complexity and simulated physical ageing negatively influence wayfinding

Appl Ergon. 2016 Sep:56:62-7. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.03.009. Epub 2016 Mar 31.

Authors

Emma Zijlstra¹, Mariët Hagedoorn², Wim P Krijnen³, Cees P van der Schans⁴, Mark P Mobach⁵

Affiliations

¹ Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Health Psychology, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: e.zijlstra@pl.hanze.nl.
² University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Health Psychology, Antonius Deusinglaan 1, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.
³ Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁴ Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁵ Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Zernikeplein 7, P.O. Box 70030, 9704 AA Groningen, The Netherlands; The Hague University of Applied Sciences, The Hague, The Netherlands.

PMID: 27184311
DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.03.009

Abstract

The aim of this age-simulation field experiment was to assess the influence of route complexity and physical ageing on wayfinding. Seventy-five people (aged 18-28) performed a total of 108 wayfinding tasks (i.e., 42 participants performed two wayfinding tasks and 33 performed one wayfinding task), of which 59 tasks were performed wearing gerontologic ageing suits. Outcome variables were wayfinding performance (i.e., efficiency and walking speed) and physiological outcomes (i.e., heart and respiratory rates). Analysis of covariance showed that persons on more complex routes (i.e., more floor and building changes) walked less efficiently than persons on less complex routes. In addition, simulated elderly participants perform worse in wayfinding than young participants in terms of speed (p < 0.001). Moreover, a linear mixed model showed that simulated elderly persons had higher heart rates and respiratory rates compared to young people during a wayfinding task, suggesting that simulated elderly consumed more energy during this task.

Keywords: Hospital environment; Physical ageing; Route complexity; Simulation; Wayfinding.

MeSH terms

Academic Medical Centers
Adolescent
Adult
Aging / physiology*
Female
Heart Rate
Humans
Male
Respiratory Rate
Spatial Navigation / physiology*
Task Performance and Analysis
Walking / physiology*
Young Adult