%0 Journal Article
%T Effects of familiarity and plan complexity on wayfinding in simulated buildings
%J Journal of environmental psychology
%D 1992
%A O'Neill, Michael J.
%V 12
%N 4
%P 319-327
%X While numerous studies have investigated the relationship between environmental familiarity and spatial cognition, no research has systematically examined the effects of familiarity on wayfinding performance. This experiment used a 5 × 5 factorial design to investigate the effects of floor plan complexity and degree of familiarity on spatial cognition and wayfinding. Subjects received five trials within one of five computer-simulated environments representing a range of plan complexity. Wayfinding performance data was collected during each trial. After all trials were completed, environmental knowledge was assessed through a sketchmap task. MANOVAs showed that wayfinding performance significantly decreased as a function of plan complexity. Plan complexity also significantly influenced sketchmap accuracy. Trend analysis showed a significant linear trend for wayfinding errors, which decreased with experience. This analysis also revealed a signficant interaction between plan complexity and experience on wayfinding. The findings suggest that environmental complexity has less of an impact on wayfinding as familiarity increases.<p />
%G 
%I Academic Press
%@ 0272-4944
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80080-5