The Perception of Traversed Distance

Three studies were conducted to explore the effect of path structure on the perception of traversed distance. Based upon anecdotal reports, it was hypothesized that the estimated length of a route would be positively related to the perceived number of turns on that route. Obtained data strongly supp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment and behavior 1980-03, Vol.12 (1), p.65-79
Main Authors: Sadalla, Edward K., Magel, Stephen G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Control equipment
Origins
Pathways
Perception
Straight lines
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Summary:Three studies were conducted to explore the effect of path structure on the perception of traversed distance. Based upon anecdotal reports, it was hypothesized that the estimated length of a route would be positively related to the perceived number of turns on that route. Obtained data strongly supported this angularity hypothesis; increasing the number of right angle turns distributed along a pathway consistently increased the estimated length of the pathway. Controls used in these studies indicated that this effect was not due to actual or perceived travel time, to any particular path structure, or to the straight line distance between origin and goal. Three explanations of this finding were discussed: a storage size model, a scaling model, and an effort interpretation.
ISSN:0013-9165
1552-390X
DOI:10.1177/0013916580121005