Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometrics and Epidemiology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
PLoS One. 2019 Jan 30;14(1):e0204781. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204781. eCollection 2019.
When we think of our family and friends, we probably know someone who is good at finding their way and someone else that easily gets lost. We still know little about the biological and environmental factors that influence our navigational ability. Here, we investigated the frequency and sociodemographic determinants of wayfinding and their association with vestibular function in a representative cross-sectional sample (N = 783) of the adult German-speaking population. Wayfinding was assessed using the Wayfinding Strategy Scale, a self-report scale that produces two scores for each participant representing to what degree they rely on route-based or orientation (map-based) strategies. We were interested in the following research questions: (1) the frequency and determinants of wayfinding strategies in a population-based representative sample, (2) the relationship between vestibular function and strategy choice and (3) how sociodemographic factors influence general wayfinding ability as measured using a combined score from both strategy scores. Our linear regression models showed that being male, having a higher education, higher age and lower regional urbanization increased orientation strategy scores. Vertigo/dizziness reduced the scores of both the orientation and the route strategies. Using a novel approach, we grouped participants by their combined strategy scores in a multinomial regression model, to see whether individuals prefer one strategy over the other. The majority of individuals reported using either both or no strategy, instead of preferring one strategy over the other. Young age and reduced vestibular function were indicative of using no strategy. In summary, wayfinding ability depends on both biological and environmental factors; all sociodemographic factors except income. Over a third of the population, predominantly under the age of 35, does not successfully use either strategy. This represents a change in our wayfinding skills, which may result from the technological advances in navigational aids over the last few decades.
当我们想到家人和朋友时，我们可能会认识一些很擅长找路的人，也会认识一些很容易迷路的人。我们仍然不太了解影响我们导航能力的生物和环境因素。在这里，我们调查了寻路频率和社会人口统计学决定因素及其与前庭功能在代表性横断面样本（N = 783）中的关联，该样本来自德语人群的成年人。寻路能力使用寻路策略量表进行评估，这是一种自我报告量表，为每个参与者产生两个分数，代表他们在多大程度上依赖基于路线或基于方向（基于地图）的策略。我们感兴趣的研究问题有：（1）在基于人群的代表性样本中寻路策略的频率和决定因素，（2）前庭功能与策略选择之间的关系，以及（3）社会人口因素如何影响使用两种策略得分的综合得分来衡量的一般寻路能力。我们的线性回归模型表明，男性、受教育程度较高、年龄较大和区域城市化程度较低会增加方向策略得分。眩晕/头晕会降低方向和路线策略的得分。我们使用一种新方法，根据他们的综合策略得分将参与者分为多分类回归模型组，以了解个体是否更喜欢一种策略而不是另一种策略。大多数人报告说使用两种策略或没有策略，而不是更喜欢一种策略。年轻和前庭功能降低表明没有使用策略。总之，寻路能力取决于生物和环境因素；所有社会人口因素都除外收入。超过三分之一的人口，主要是 35 岁以下的人口，无法成功使用任何一种策略。这代表了我们寻路技能的变化，这可能是由于过去几十年导航辅助技术的进步。
