The planned introduction of route guidance and information systems into vehicles is predicted to offer benefits both to the individual user and to the transport system as a whole, by expanding individuals' cognitive maps for an area, thus providing a greater range of choices from which to select a suitable course of action. However, little is known about the effects of additional information upon the cognitive mapping process: will it help or hinder the acquisition of cognitive maps ? This paper describes an experiment using video footage of three routes through an area to provide a standardised experimental environment suitable for researching the spatial knowledge acquisition process. In order to test the effects that guidance instructions might have upon this process one group sees only the video footage, while experimental groups hear route guidance instructions while viewing the routes. The research also hypothesises that inexperienced drivers have not yet acquired the skills necessary to navigate effectively whilst controlling a vehicle, leading to errors and stress and consequently a detrimental effect upon driving performance. This hypothesis is tested by comparing the ability of newly qualified drivers, non drivers and experienced drivers to acquire spatial knowledge from the videos of the three routes. (A)
Abstract