Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Therapy, School of Health Science, Kyushu University of Health and Welfare
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between performance on map reading in thesubway station yard and sense of direction. METHODS: The participants were 28 （16 males and 12females） undergraduate students, and they were divided into two groups （poor sense of direction groupand good sense of direction group） using the Sense of Direction Questionnaire-Short Form （Takeuchi,1992）. In the experiment, the participants were required to read a map at Minamimorimachi station, andto travel from a starting point to a goal. RESULTS: The proportion of arrival to a goal in the good sense ofdirection group was higher than it was in the poor sense of direction group. Additionally, the timerequired to read a map in the good sense of direction group was shorter than it was in the poor sense ofdirection group. However, there were no differences in the time required to travel to a goal and number oftimes the participants stopped on the way to a goal. CONCLUSIONS : The results suggest that, the abilityto read a map correctly and to travel from a starting point to a goal is affected by the individual’s sense ofdirection
