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Age differences in adults' spatial abilities, learning environmental layout, and wayfinding behavior

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Spatial Cognition and Computation

Abstract

Empirical relations among age, general spatialability as assessed by psychometric tests,wayfinding-related skills as assessed byexperimental tasks in the laboratory,environmental layout learning as assessed in afield experiment, and wayfinding behavior asobserved in a field experiment were modeled ina study involving 120 younger and 120 olderadults. The best-fitting model showed thatage-related differences in learningenvironmental layout were significantly, butnot exclusively, mediated by a single abilityfactor defined by psychometric tests. Knowledge of environmental layout was theexclusive mediator between general spatialability and wayfinding behavior. Thus, agedifferences in psychometric test performancewere found to be a major factor in accountingfor aging-related decline in learningenvironmental layout, but other variables notassessed in this study also play a significantrole.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Carolina, USA

    Kathleen C. Kirasic

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  1. Kathleen C. Kirasic
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Kirasic, K.C. Age differences in adults' spatial abilities, learning environmental layout, and wayfinding behavior. Spatial Cognition and Computation 2, 117–134 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011445624332

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