It's six of one and a half dozen of the other (or is it?): A perspective dependent route selection bias.

Dr. Holly A. Taylor, Department of Psychology, Tufts University

People frequently make choices between route alternatives when going about their daily lives, such as “do I take Route 10 or Rip Road to get to the school?” Such route selections can be influenced by both external cues (e.g., likely traffic) and internal heuristics (e.g., prefer the scenery). The work discussed in this presentation focuses on a novel route selection bias wherein participants asked to choose between equidistant routes, one going generally north and the other generally south, reliably prefer the southern option. In other words, two routes that are six of one and a half dozen of the other are not perceived as such. A series of six experiments sought possible mechanisms for this preference. Results are discussed with regard to predicting wayfinding behavior, the mental simulation of action, and theories of spatial cognition and navigation.

Date: 24.09.2010

Time: 15:30 h

Location: Cartesium, Bremen