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Structuring the environment nudges participants toward hierarchical over shortest path planning
Valeria Simonelli1, Davide Nuzzi2, Gian Luca Lancia2
1Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Rome, Italy; University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
Consciousness and Cognition
|August 5, 2025
Summary
Environmental structure significantly influences planning strategies. Participants favored hierarchical plans in structured environments and shortest path plans in unstructured ones, often using implicit strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Environmental Psychology
Background:
- Effective planning is essential for goal achievement in complex environments.
- Understanding how environmental factors influence planning strategy selection is crucial for optimizing decision-making processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of environmental structure on the choice of planning strategies.
- To determine if structured versus unstructured environments elicit different planning approaches.
Main Methods:
- Forty-two participants navigated a virtual space station to collect colored spheres.
- Environments were manipulated to be either structured (spheres grouped by color) or unstructured (spheres randomly scattered).
- Participants' planning strategy choices (hierarchical, shortest path, neutral) were analyzed in relation to environmental structure.
Main Results:
- Participants showed a preference for hierarchical planning strategies in structured environments.
- Shortest path planning strategies were favored in unstructured environments.
- A discrepancy was observed between participants' self-reported preferences and their actual chosen strategies, indicating implicit strategy use.
Conclusions:
- Environmental structure powerfully influences the selection of planning strategies.
- Subtle changes in environmental cues can implicitly guide human decision-making and planning.
- Awareness of planning strategy selection may not always align with actual cognitive processes.
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