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Practical Methodology of Cognitive Tasks Within a Navigational Assessment
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The attribution of success when using navigation aids
Michael Brown1, Robert Houghton, Sarah Sharples
1a Horizon Digital Economy Research, University of Nottingham , C01, Nottingham Geospatial Building, Nottingham NG7 2TU , UK.
Ergonomics
|November 12, 2014
Summary
People attribute success to their own skill and failures to technology when navigating. This attribution shifts when discussing others, with technology use impacting how personal skill is perceived in navigation outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Human-computer interaction
- Cognitive psychology
- Geographic information science
Background:
- Attribution theory explains how individuals interpret success and failure.
- Understanding attitudes towards geographic information technology (GIT) is crucial.
- Pedestrian navigation technology use is widespread but attribution patterns are under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how attributions of success and failure in pedestrian navigation vary.
- To explore the influence of automation level, success degree, and locus of control.
- To examine differences in attribution when users reflect on their own vs. others' experiences.
Main Methods:
- Survey methodology employed with 113 participants.
- Exploration of personal navigation experiences and fictional vignettes.
- Analysis of attributions based on navigation aid type (paper maps, web routing, satellite navigation).
Main Results:
- Users attribute success to personal skill and failure to the navigation aid for their own experiences.
- A reversed attribution pattern emerges when discussing others' navigation experiences.
- Personal skill is more strongly associated with navigation outcomes when using paper maps compared to digital systems.
Conclusions:
- Attribution of success and failure in navigation is complex and context-dependent.
- Self-perception and the type of navigation aid significantly influence outcome attributions.
- Further research into user attitudes towards GIT is warranted.
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