The influence of social elements on wayfinding performance and spatial learning through visual attention in a virtual environment

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the how the social elements in the environment affect wayfinding and spatial learning outcomes by shaping visual attention during navigation. Grounded in the concept of social wayfinding, the study adopts a mixedmethods approach including a real-world pilot study and a controlled immersive virtual reality (iVR) experiment with integrated eye-tracking. Social presence is systematically manipulated in a large-scale airport terminal setting. Visual attention to social and non-social elements is measured using fixation proportions, and linked to wayfinding performance (task duration, travel distance, and error count) as well as spatial learning outcomes (landmark placement and pointing accuracy). The results demonstrate that social elements function as critical visual stimuli that attract attention during navigation. Increased visual attention to social elements is associated with reduced wayfinding efficiency and weaker spatial learning outcomes, indicating that social presence can introduce perceptual competition and increase attentional demand. Mediation analyses further reveal that visual attention plays a critical role in explaining the relationship between social presence and navigational outcomes. By empirically linking social presence, attention allocation, and spatial learning, this study advances current understanding of wayfinding as a dynamic process shaped by the interaction of environmental, social, and cognitive factors. It demonstrates the methodological value of combining immersive VR and eyetracking to study navigation in socially complex environments. The findings have implications for wayfinding design, emphasizing the need to manage attentional demands in socially dynamic public interiors to support effective navigation and spatial learning.