Gaze behavior during incidental and intentional navigation in an outdoor environment

Abstract

Previous research on landmark selection and route learning derived many of its conclusions from the analysis of memory tasks and verbal route descriptions. We examined the extent to which these findings are reflected in gaze behavior. Wearing a mobile eye tracking device, participants learned the first part of a real-world route incidentally and the second part intentionally. When compared with incidental learning, intentional learning led to a stronger focus on landmarks at structurally salient locations. In contrast, landmarks with a higher level of visual salience attracted generally more fixation time. This finding remained unaffected by learning intention. Our results support the validity of established theoretical frameworks about landmark selection and route learning by extending them to the level of gaze behavior. Additionally, they provide insight into subtle changes of properties determining a landmark's salience as a result of learning intention.