10.57647/j.ccd.2025.0802.09

Age differences in spatial route-finding ability of tourists:A case study of Imam Reza Shrine

PDF
  • Maryam Zahed Nikseresht1,
  • Sanaz Saeidi Mofrad*1,
  • Maryam Daneshvar1,
  • Toktam Hanaee1,
  1. Department of Urbanism, Ma.C., Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran.

Received: 2024-08-02

Revised: 2024-10-27

Accepted: 2024-12-30

Published in Issue 2025-06-01

Copyright (c) 2025 Maryam Zahed Nikseresht, Sanaz Saeidi Mofrad, Maryam Daneshvar, Toktam Hanaee (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Zahed Nikseresht, M., Saeidi Mofrad, S., Daneshvar, M., & Hanaee, T. (2025). Age differences in spatial route-finding ability of tourists:A case study of Imam Reza Shrine. Creative City Design, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.57647/j.ccd.2025.0802.09
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

PDF views: 151

Abstract

Aims: The ability of channeling, having spatial memory and also cognitive maps of the path are considered as the key components for forming spatial ability in route-finding. This issue might vary between different age groups. In the previous literature, the topic of age differences in route-finding has been widely investigated; however, what has been less paid attention to is the role of age differences in route-finding among the society of tourists. In lines with this, the current study makes an attempt to show that whether there is a difference among various age groups of tourists’ societies in the field of spatial ability of route-finding considering the components of sense of direction, spatial memory and spatial cognition.

Methodology: For this purpose, the target population includes the tourists vising the surrounding fabric of Holy Shrine of Imam Reza, and by non-probability and simple and convenient random sampling techniques, 100 persons were selected. Independent statistical t-test and ANOVA were used for data analysis. In the process of data analysis, the age groups were categorized into 5 age classes, ranging from 20 years old to more than 60 years old.

Finding: The final data analysis and the results obtained showed that there was no significant difference among the age groups of tourists related to the three components explaining the spatial ability of route-finding. Moreover, the paired comparison of age groups did not show a significant difference among the tourists in the field of perceiving the components of spatial ability of route-finding in the surrounding fabric of the holy shrine.

Conclusion: Our study highlights the role of age difference in tourist wayfinding spatial ability. In contrast to previous literature, we found that there is no significant difference among age groups in terms of way finding spatial ability indicators.

Keywords

  • Spatial ability,
  • Route-finding,
  • Tourists,
  • Age differences,
  • Holy shrine,
  • Imam Reza
PDF

References

  1. S. Maleki, H. Alizadeh, and M. J. Kamelifar. “An Analysis of the Urban Tourism Sustainability Patterns in Ahvaz city.”. Tourism Management Studies, 15(49):181–201, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22054/tms.2020.11050.
  2. D. Buhalis, D. Leung, and M. Lin. “Metaverse as a disruptive technology revolutionising tourism management and marketing.”. Tourism Management, 97:104724, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104724.
  3. Y. Zhao, W. Shang, X. Qin, and K. Li. “Developing an evaluation model for urban tourism competitiveness: combining community construction and community service to foster sustainable development of cities.”. Frontiers in Public Health, 12:1435291,2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1435291.
  4. M. S. Masoudian and Z. S. Saeideh Zarabadi. “Evaluation of effective components in the design of heritage tourism routes (Case study: historical, cultural and tourism axis of Julfa).”. Journal of Tourism and Development, 11(4):33–49, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22034/jtd.2021.285382.2339.
  5. T. Hanaei, S. Saeedi, E. Armaz, and Sh. Abedi. “Evaluating the components affecting the increase of satisfaction of tourists in the process of route-finding: A case study of Payin Khiaban neighborhood in Mashhad.”. City’s Identity Journal, 15(48):15–64,2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22080/usfs.2021.18582.1966.
  6. S. Kalantari, A. Mostafavi, T. B. Xu, A. S. Lee, and Q. Yang. “Comparing spatial navigation in a virtual environment vs. an identical real environment across the adult lifespan.”. Computers in Human Behavior, 157:108210, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108210.
  7. T. Hanaei, S. Saeedi Monfared, and Sh. Abedi. “Tools of route-finding of tourists with different familiarity with environment.”.Urban Studies Journal, 9(36):3–12, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34785/J011.2021.636.
  8. R. Nori, M. M. Zucchelli, M. Palmiero, and L. Piccardi. “Environmental cognitive load and spatial anxiety: What matters in navigation?.”. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 88:102032, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102032.
  9. A. M. Hund and J. L. Minarik. “Getting from here to there: Spatial anxiety, wayfinding strategies, direction type, and wayfinding efficiency.”. Spatial cognition and computation, 6(3):179–201, 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15427633scc0603 1.
  10. T. Hanaei. “Reading of Elements of Cognitive Maps in Perception of different Age Groups of Tourists; Case Study: Paein Khiaban and Tabarsi Neighborhoods.”. Armanshahr Architecture and Urban Development Journal, 15(38):185–198, 2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.22034/aaud.2022.189356.1902.
  11. M. Merhav and D. Fisher-Gewirtzman. “How pathways’ configuration impacts wayfinding in young and older adults.”. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 90:102065, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102065.
  12. H. H. Chang. “Wayfinding strategies and tourist anxiety in unfamiliar destinations.”. Tourism Geographies, 15(3):529–550, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2012.726270.
  13. K. Sabashi, B. Ben-Moshe, J. D. Schmocker, Y. Hadas, and S. Nakao. ̈“Simulation of tourists’ wayfinding during evacuation based on experiments in Kyoto.”. Transportation research procedia, 62:640–647, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trpro.2022.02.079.
  14. H. Y. Chen, K. Sato, and M. C. Zheng. “Differences in wayfinding performance across types of navigation aids and understanding of environmental information among travelers.”. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 20(4):383–397, 2021.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2020.1799795.
  15. E. Honarmand and T. Hanaee. “The role of place meaning in shaping the mental image of tourists (Case study: Jannat neighborhood of Mashhad city).”. Journal of Tourism and Development, 10(1):125–142, 2021.DOI: https://doi.org/10.22034/jtd.2020.224085.1997.
  16. M. Javanshiri, T. Hanaei, S. M. Seyedolhosseini, and S. Saeedi Monfared. “The legibility of the factors affecting the route-finding behavior of urban tourists using meta-synthesis.”. Journal of Geography and Development, 20(69):230–269, 2022. DOI:https://doi.org/10.22111/gdij.2022.7286.
  17. Y. Zhao, J. Liang, N. Boyol, and W. Hong. “The influences of guidance system on tourists’ wayfinding behaviour: a case study based on eye-tracking techniques.”. Tourism Tribune, 35(9):63–73, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19765 j.cnki.1002-5006.2020.09.011.
  18. S. H. Choi and C. U. I. Wong. “Toponymy, place name conversion and wayfinding: South Korean independent tourists in Macau.”.Tourism management perspectives, 25:13–22, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.10.007.
  19. H. H. Chang. “Which one helps tourists most? Perspectives of international tourists using different navigation aids.”. Tourism Geographies, 17(3):350–369, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2015.1016099.
  20. J. C. Xia, C. Arrowsmith, M. Jackson, and W. Cartwright. “The wayfinding process relationships between decision-making and landmark utility.”. Tourism Management, 29(3):445–457, 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.05.010.
  21. M. Haldrup. “Laid-back motilities: Second-home holidays in time and space.”. Tourism Geographies, 6(4):434–454, 2004.DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1461668042000280228.
  22. S. Vaez, M. Burke, and R. Yu. “Visitors’ wayfinding strategies and navigational aids in unfamiliar urban environment.”. Tourism Geographies, 22(4-5):832–847, 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2019.1696883.
  23. A. Afrooz, D. White, and B. Parolin. “Effects of active and passive exploration of the built environment on memory during wayfinding.”. Applied Geography, 101:68–74, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.10.009.
  24. M. Hegarty, C. He, A. P. Boone, S. Yu, E. G. Jacobs, and E. R. Chrastil. “Understanding differences in wayfinding strategies.”. Topics in Cognitive Science, 15(1):102–119, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12592.
  25. C. Wang, Y. Chen, S. Zheng, and H. Liao. “Gender and age differences in using indoor maps for wayfinding in real environments.”. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 8(1):11, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi8010011.
  26. M. Taillade, H. Sauzeon, P. A. Pala, M. D ́ ejos, F. Larrue, C. Gross, ́and B. N’Kaoua. “Age-Related Wayfinding Differences in Real Large-Scale Environments: Detrimental Motor Control Effects during Spatial Learning Are Mediated by Executive Decline?.”. PLoS ONE, 8:e67193, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067193.
  27. Sh. Abedi and S. Saeedi Monfared. “Investigating the effect of urban signs on the route-finding of children: A case study of Sajjad neighborhood in Mashhad.”. Urban Studies Journal, 11(43):87–98, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34785/J011.2022.970.
  28. J. Lingwood, M. Blades, E. K. Farran, Y. Courbois, and D. Matthews. “Using virtual environments to investigate wayfinding in 8-to12-year-olds and adults.”. Journal of experimental child psychology, 166:178–189, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.08.012.
  29. M. Merhav and D. Fisher-Gewirtzman. “How pathways’ configuration impacts wayfinding in young and older adults.”. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 90:102065, 2023. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102065.
  30. Y. Zuo and J. Zhou. “Reducing younger and older adults’ spatial disorientation during indoor-outdoor transitions: Effects of route alignment and visual access on wayfinding.”. Behavioural Brain Research, 465:114967, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114967.
  31. D. Head and M. Isom. “Age effects on wayfinding and route learning skills.”. Behavioural brain research, 209(1):49–58, 2010. URLwww.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016643281000029X.
  32. D. E. Adamo, E. M. Briceno, J. A. Sindone, N. B. Alexander, and S. Moffat. “Age differences in virtual environment and real-world path integration.”. J. Front. Aging Neurosis, 4:26, 2012.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2012.00026.
  33. R. Davis. “Wayfinding Strategies and Wayfinding Anxiety in Older Adults with and without Alzheimer’s Disease.”. Res Gerontology Nurse, 13(2):91–101, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3928/19404921-20191022-03.
  34. A. J. Padgitt and A. M. Hund. “How good are these directions?Determining direction quality and wayfinding efficiency.”. Journal of environmental psychology, 32(2):164–172, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2012.01.007.
  35. H. Burte and D. R. Montello. “How sense-of-direction and learning intentionality relate to spatial knowledge acquisition in the environment.”. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 2:1–17, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-017-0057-4.
  36. N. A. A. Shamsuddin, S. C. Din, M. Saruwono, and R. Suryantini. “A Correlation Analysis between the Sense of Direction and Spatial Visualization in the Wayfinding System of a Complex Environment.”. Asian Journal of Environment-Behaviour Studies, 7(22):1–13,2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v7i22.408.
  37. H. Mohamadshafiee, M. Khanmohammadi, and L. Karimifard. “Analyzing Physical-Spatial (Architectural) Components in Creating a Sense of Attachment from the Perspective of Tourists (Case Study: Si-O-Se-Pol Bridge in Isfahan).”. Creative City Design,2(7):37–49, 2024. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30495/ccd.2023.1977321.1183.
  38. T. Hanaei and M. Javanshiri. “Human features and behavior of route-finding in the urban environment.”. Tehran: Tahan Publications, 2019.
  39. A. Verghote, S. Al-Haddad, P. Goodrum, and S. Van Emelen. “The effects of information format and spatial cognition on individual wayfinding performance.”. Buildings, 9(2):29, 2019.DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings9020029.
  40. M. Kim, Y. Ham, C. Koo, and T. W. Kim. “Simulating travel paths of construction site workers via deep reinforcement learning considering their spatial cognition and wayfinding behavior.”. Automation in Construction, 147:104715, 2023. URLwww.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926580522005854.
  41. A. Karimi Yazdi, N. Barati, and M. Zarei. “Comparative Assessment of People’s and Experts’ Perception of Urban Space (Case study of urban collection of Emamzadeh Saleh, Tajrish, Tehran).”. The Monthly Scientific Journal of Bagh-e Nazar, 13(45):13–26, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/https://www.bagh-sj.com/article 43431.html?lang=en.
  42. T. Hanaee, F. Jameei, and S. SeyedAlHosseini. “Assessing the Urban Structure Cohesion based on Principles of Integration with Space Syntax Technique: A Case Study of Central Area of Mashhad.”. Creative City Design, 1(5):72–82, 2022. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30495/ccd.2022.689105.