TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2000//
TI  - The development of wayfinding competency: asymmetrical effects of visuo-spatial and verbal ability
JO  - Journal of environmental psychology
A1  - Fenner, Jacqueline
A1  - Heathcote, David
A1  - Jerrams-Smith, Jennifer
SP  - 165
EP  - 175
VL  - 20
IS  - 2
N2  - A cognitive developmental study examined the effects of visuo-spatial ability (V-SA) and verbal ability (VA) on wayfinding performance in young and older children. The age groups used corresponded to the pre-operational and concrete operational Piagetian stages of cognitive development. In addition to completing a battery of tests measuring V-SA and VA, children undertook a wayfinding task in a forward and reverse direction. High V-SA children exhibited superior wayfinding skills to low V-SA children. In contrast, VA failed to influence wayfinding performance. Further analysis revealed that the effects of V-SA were only reliable in young children, suggesting that older children develop additional representational abilities that are neither visuo-spatial nor verbal in nature. Applications of these findings are discussed in terms of their implications for environmental design and planning.<p /> 
LA  - 
SN  - 0272-4944
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jevp.1999.0162
ID  - ref1
ER  -