“Sense
of Direction” and “Orientierungssinn”:
Meaning of a
Self-Concept as Revealed by Relations to Spatial Strategies and Learning
Abstract
Self-report measures contribute
substantively
to an explanation of individual differences in environmental spatial
cognition.
A central self-concept is “sense of direction” (SOD). Self-reported SOD
can
predict spatial learning significantly. What does SOD mean and is SOD
comparable to the German “Orientierungssinn”?
The
meaning of SOD and “Orientierungssinn” is
reflected by
the factor structure of self-report instruments that intend to measure
these
self-concepts together with associated strategies and competences. The
Santa-Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD, Hegarty
et al., 2002) comprises a number of different spatial strategies and
competences (including route learning, knowing about cardinal
directions,
formation of a mental map) in one dimension (factor). In contrast, with
a
German version of the SBSOD scale (Freiburg-SBSOD, Meilinger
& Knauff, 2004) a one-dimensional
solution could
not be found. Likewise, the factor structure of a recently developed
German questionnaire
on spatial strategies (Fragebogen Räumliche
Strategien, FRS, Münzer
& Hölscher, subm.)
reflects the distinction between egocentric and allocentric
spatial references frames. “Orientierungssinn”
was
related to egocentric strategies but
not to survey strategies. These findings seem to illustrate a
difference
between a broad SOD and a more narrow meaning of “Orientierungssinn”.
However, this difference is discussed with respect to methodological
aspects, behavioral studies, and cultural
differences in the
man-made environment.
References
Hegarty, M.,
Richardson, A. E., Montello, D. R., Lovelace, K., & Subbiah,
I. (2002). Development of a self-report measure of environmental
spatial
ability. Intelligence, 30, 425-447.
Meilinger, T., & Knauff,
M. (2004). FSBSOD: Freiburg Version of the Santa
Barbara Sense of Direction Scale. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from
http://cognition.iig.uni-freiburg.de/research/online-experiments/fsbsod.pdf
Münzer, S. & Hölscher,
C. (Revision submitted). Entwicklung und Validierung eines Fragebogens zu räumlicher
Orientierung (Development and validation of a self-report
measure of spatial
orientation). (Diagnostica)