The Perception of Traversed Distance

Abstract

Three studies were conducted to explore the effect of path structure on the perception of traversed distance. Based upon anecdotal reports, it was hypothesized that the estimated length of a route would be positively related to the perceived number of turns on that route. Obtained data strongly supported this angularity hypothesis; increasing the number of right angle turns distributed along a pathway consistently increased the estimated length of the pathway. Controls used in these studies indicated that this effect was not due to actual or perceived travel time, to any particular path structure, or to the straight line distance between origin and goal. Three explanations of this finding were discussed: a storage size model, a scaling model, and an effort interpretation.