This paper reports a French study aimed at identifying the cognitive process involved in planning routes. Subjects were asked to devise a route through a town in which thirteen separate tasks had to be completed. Participants were divided into those with and without prior knowledge of the town. The results showed that the two groups had divergent aims in solving the problem. Participants without knowledge tended to reduce the cognitive cost of planning and solve the problem as quickly as possible, applying depth-first problem-solving strategies. Participants with knowledge tended to reduce the cognitive cost of execution of their strategy rather than of the planning; they applied breadth-first problem-solving strategies. The results have implications for the development of onboard navigation aid systems to support route planning. For the covering abstract see ITRD E113725 (C 22328 CD-ROM).
Samenvatting