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When directions fail: Investigation of getting lost behaviour in adults with acquired brain injury
Rik Lemoncello1, McKay Moore Sohlberg, Stephen Fickas
1Speech & Hearing Sciences, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA. rrl@pdx.edu
Primary Objective:
To investigate and describe getting lost behaviour and wayfinding strategies among acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors and matched controls.
Research Design:
Matched control group comparison design.
Methods And Procedures:
This study compared wayfinding performance of 18 adults with acquired brain injury to controls matched for gender, age and education. Participants followed written directions along an eight-step route in an unfamiliar neighbourhood, with three intentionally challenging choice-points. They used a cellular phone to request assistance if they became lost. Dependent measures included accuracy, directness and wayfinding strategy. Statistical and qualitative analyses explored group themes and differences.
Main Results:
Participants with ABI demonstrated significantly greater on-route wayfinding errors and hesitancy than matched controls. The ABI group requested assistance over the cell phone more frequently than controls and required more attempts at re-orientation with concrete, salient directions in order to re-orient in the field. Participants in the control group anticipated errors with greater frequency than those with ABI.
Conclusions:
ABI survivors demonstrated greater challenges with wayfinding than matched controls. Re-orientation required concrete, explicit redirection with reference to salient landmarks. Implications for clinical practice and assistive technology are discussed.
