{"id":122,"date":"2003-06-12T07:08:41","date_gmt":"2003-06-12T12:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/?p=122"},"modified":"2003-06-12T07:08:41","modified_gmt":"2003-06-12T12:08:41","slug":"east_is_east_an","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2003\/06\/12\/east_is_east_an.html","title":{"rendered":"East is east, and west is west …"},"content":{"rendered":"

An interesting set of studies coming out of Canada delve into how we find our way<\/a> from place to place.<\/p>\n

First thing they found: the best way to find out how good a navigator someone is is to ask them. <\/p>\n

Those who believed they had a good sense of direction were also the ones who did best in the tests: They took less time and more intuitively found their way, even if they weren\u2019t necessarily more efficient. By contrast, those who said their sense of direction was poor took longer, stopped more often and checked landmarks more frequently.<\/p>\n

Secondly, there was no substantial difference in outcome between men and women. In general, both are equally good at finding their way. But, again as a generalization, they did it differently, which is often the root of the old stereotyped conflict.<\/p>\n

In the survey method, you visualize an area\u2019s layout from a top-down view, like a printed map, comparing different landmarks based on how they\u2019re placed in relation to each other. In the route method, you use a series of directions \u2014 turn left, turn right, go uphill \u2014 to tell you how to get somewhere specific.
\nBoth methods work together to give us spatial cognition, the mental process of relating to spaces around us, which is what allows us to find our way.<\/p>\n

And then there are the sex differences.<\/p>\n

What the Edmonton study found was that men were more likely to use the survey method, using a specific landmark in the distance to find their way, while women were more likely to use a specific route and follow directions.
\nBoth work, and neither is inherently better. But knowing which one is easier for someone to understand can make a huge difference in getting them where they want to go. It also explains that classic situation of a man driving and a woman in the passenger seat, navigating. The man misses a turn but claims a couple quick turns will fix the problem. \u201cShe\u2019s already getting nervous because they missed the turn, they\u2019re off route,\u201d Cornell says.
\nOur hypothetical couple goes on a bit further and hits a dead end \u2014 \u201cand she says, \u2018We\u2019re lost,\u2019 and he says, \u2018We\u2019re not really lost,\u2019\u201d Cornell says. At that point, the man is thinking of their position in survey terms, as though he could pinpoint it on a map \u2014 indeed, they\u2019re probably not far from where they\u2019re going. The woman, however, is frustrated because he\u2019s broken the route structure that would get them to their destination.<\/p>\n

There seem to be some deep-seated cultural differences (if not biological ones) behind these differing strategies. But they also have implications for map-makers, GPS-manufacturers, and the like, in terms of giving information that’s meaningful for either strategy.<\/p>\n

Interesting stuff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An interesting set of studies coming out of Canada delve into how we find our way from place to place. First thing they found: the best way to find out…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11018,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2007\/04\/24\/requires_directions.html","url_meta":{"origin":122,"position":0},"title":"Requires directions","author":"***Dave","date":"Tue 24-Apr-07 10:39am","format":false,"excerpt":"Dutch police in Segbroek decided to accommodate Muslim prisoners by painting compass arrows on the ceiling so that they knew which direction to face (toward Mecca, in the east) during...","rel":"","context":"In "Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Religion","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/religion"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":133343,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/04\/24\/east-is-east-and-west-is-west.html","url_meta":{"origin":122,"position":1},"title":"East is East and West is West","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 24-Apr-17 11:39pm","format":false,"excerpt":"I enjoyed the BBQ lamb we had for Easter dinner.But I really enjoyed the re-purposed leftover lamb made into a delightful curry dish tonight.Thanks, +Margie Kleerup! \u00a0 View on Google+","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Make-Your-Own-Curry-Powder5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Make-Your-Own-Curry-Powder5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Make-Your-Own-Curry-Powder5B15D.jpgimgmax%3D660.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":133814,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2017\/07\/07\/east-is-east-and-west-is-west-and-ever-the-trump-shall-tweet.html","url_meta":{"origin":122,"position":2},"title":"East is East and West is West, and Ever the Trump Shall Tweet","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 7-Jul-17 1:13pm","format":false,"excerpt":"Okay, that was sort of a labored headline, but work with me ...The core of Donald Trump's speech in Warsaw was summed upon this tweet on his account:\u275d THE WEST WILL NEVER BE BROKEN. Our values will PREVAIL. Our people will THRIVE and our civilization will TRIUMPH! \u275eAside from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "~PlusPosts"","block_context":{"text":"~PlusPosts","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/plusposts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40217,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2013\/12\/27\/3-of-5-stars-to-east-of-west.html","url_meta":{"origin":122,"position":3},"title":"3 of 5 stars to East of West, …","author":"***Dave","date":"Fri 27-Dec-13 1:13pm","format":false,"excerpt":"3 of 5 stars to East of West, Vol. 1 by Jonathan Hickman http:\/\/t.co\/iTooYpNsrW","rel":"","context":"In "~Tweets"","block_context":{"text":"~Tweets","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/category\/blogging\/tweets"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41375,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/03\/09\/wide-open-spaces.html","url_meta":{"origin":122,"position":4},"title":"Wide Open Spaces","author":"***Dave","date":"Sun 9-Mar-14 11:58am","format":false,"excerpt":"Funny graphic, but it calls to mind some things.People have different perceptions of space based on where they are. 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