Visual Search and Pedestrian Movements in Wayfinding through a Maze

Despite their importance to research, there exist almost no experimental studies on the relationship between visual search (eye movement) and walking (head and body movement) in 'way finding'. The current research aims at developing a method to analyze 'way finding' behavior and at revealing some characteristics of the coordination of eye and head/body movement.

In the experiment, subjects wore an eye camera and walked two or three times through a maze from a starting point to a goal until the entire path was learned. Subsequently, the subjects were asked to make sketch drawings, and an image map of the maze from memory. Complex data, such as distribution of fixation points, fixation duration, sight distance and pedestrians' head/body movement patterns were systematically analyzed. Through this developed method, several characteristics of coordinative eye and pedestrian movement in 'way finding' were revealed. The relationship between visual search and recalled drawing of the path was also discussed.

PDF(6,707KB, in Japanese)

Shigeyuki Okazaki, Tohru Kitahama, Toshiaki Miura and Kazumitsu Shinohara,

Changes in Eye-head-body Movements During Maze Learning

Perceptual and Motor Skills, Vol. 91, pp.1230, 2000.12

Investigation of the relationship between visual search (eye movement) and walking (head and body movement) during way-finding through a maze by each of 6 subject pedestrians who wore an eye camera showed patterns of sight line, head movement, body movement, and changes of coordination between eye-head-body movement during the process of comprehension of the pathways were revealed.

PDF(310KB)

Shingo Nakamura, Tohru Kitahama, Takashi Tokunaga, Hitoshi Tamura and Shigeyuki Okazaki,

A Study on the Movement Patterns of Sight-lines in terms of Duration of Fixation and Fixation Distance

- Fixation and Pedestrian Movements on Wayfinding in a Maze Part1 -

Summaries of technical papers of Annual Meeting Architectural Institute of Japan, E-1, pp.833-834, 1998.9 (in Japanese)

Takashi Tokunaga, Tohru Kitahama, Shingo Nakamura, Hitoshi Tamura and Shigeyuki Okazaki,

A Study on the Relationships of Fixations and the Direction of Head and Eye

- Fixation and Pedestrian Movements on Wayfinding in a Maze Part2 -

Summaries of technical papers of Annual Meeting Architectural Institute of Japan, E-1, pp.835-836, 1998.9 (in Japanese)

Shingo Nakamura, Tohru Kitahama, Takashi Tokunaga, Hitoshi Tamura and Shigeyuki Okazaki,

A Study of Eye Movement and Pedestrian Movement on Wayfinding in a Maze

Part1. A Study on the Movement Patterns of Visual Lines

Technical Papers of AIJ Kinki Brunch, Vol.38, Planning, pp.221-224, 1998.7 (in Japanese)

Takashi Tokunaga, Tohru Kitahama, Shingo Nakamura, Hitoshi Tamura and Shigeyuki Okazaki,

A Study of Eye Movement and Pedestrian Movement on Wayfinding in a Maze

Part2. A Study on the Fundamental Characteristics of Fixations and Pedestrian Movements

Technical Papers of AIJ Kinki Brunch, Vol.38, Planning, pp.225-228, 1998.7 (in Japanese)

The Relationship Between the Way of Locomotion and Visual Search in a Maze

- Comparison Between Fixations of Active-locomotion in Way-finding and Passive-locomotion in Wheelchair -

To clarify the differences between fixations of active-locomotion and passive-locomotion, two experiments were conducted in a small maze.  The subjects wearing an eye camera tried to find the goal in active way-finding experiment, whereas, in the passive-locomotion experiment, subjects rode on a wheelchair pushed by an experimenter. Through the four trials of active way-finding, the entire path was learned and fixation movements were more continuous than before.  However, for passive-locomotion, some subjects learned the path well and their fixation movements were more continuous, but some did not learn the path well and their fixation movements were more scattered.  In active way-finding, fixation moved ahead before the head and body; however, this was not characteristic for the passive-locomotion.  In passive-locomotion, sometimes fixation moved ahead right after the body and head rotated, and sometimes fixation moved to the opposite direction while the body and head rotated. 

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Keisuke Inomata, Shigeyoshi Sugai, Shigeyuki Okazaki, and Toshitomo Suzuki, 

The Methods of the Experiments of Active-locomotion and Passive-locomotion　

A Study on a Comparison between Fixations of Active-locomotion (Way-finding movement) and Passive-locomotion in Wheel-chair in a Maze -Part 1-

PDF(in Japanese, 494KB)

Shigeyoshi Sugai, Shigeyuki Okazaki, Toshitomo Suzuki, and Keisuke Inomata, 

A Comparison between Fixations of Active-locomotion and Passive-locomotion, 

A Study on a Comparison between Fixations of Active-locomotion (Way-finding movement) and Passive-locomotion in Wheel-chair in a Maze -Part 2-

PDF(in Japanese, 88KB)

Hirotaka Masuda, Toru Kitahama, Toshitomo Suzuki, Masato Kuroiwa, Kazuhiko Yanagisawa, and Shigeyuki Okazaki,

The Simulation Model of Visual Search and Pedestrian Movements in Wayfinding,

PDF(in Japanese, 2,640KB) 

Motonobu Imamura, Shigeyuki Okazaki, Hirotaka Masuda and Yuuki Nakamura,

A Study of the Model for Fixation in Way-finding through Maze

Summaries of technical papers of Annual Meeting Architectural Institute of Japan, E-1, pp.1069-1070, 2000.9 (in Japanese)

Walking in way finding depend on relationship between fixzation,pedesterian walking and environment.It is considered that understanding this relationship is useful for construction of our life spaces.So,first,we made a model of visual behavior from fundamental characteristics.In making the model,we used the results of experiment of way findings through maze with eye camera.And we developed a simulation model for visual search and pedestrian movement based on the action model by VRML or JAVA. And the simuration model is investigated by the comparison with results of experiment of way findings.