[Effect of sense of direction on navigational behavior]

A sense of direction is said to depend on at least two factors, awareness of orientation and memory for spatial behavior. This study investigated whether these two factors could predict navigational performance in the actual world. Takeuchi's Sense of Direction Questionnaire (SDQ) was administered to 233 students, and two factors were identified: awareness of orientation (Factor I) and memory for spatial behavior (Factor II). From these students, thirty participants chosen based on their Factor I scale-score (high-and low-group) to participate in a navigation experiment. The experimenter led them to one place and asked them to come back to the start point on their own. To manipulate the participants' ability related to Factor II, half of the participants were instructed to count backwards as a distractor-task during the approach route. The high-group came back to the start point faster than the low-group. Moreover, the participants without the distractor-task more often explored shortcuts on the return route, whereas those with the distractor-tasks more often chose the same route as the approach route. These results indicate that the SDQ could predict navigational performance in the actual world.