1993 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Development of navigation skills in late blind
| Project/Area Number |
04610075
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Psychology
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| Research Institution | Waseda University |
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Principal Investigator |
SASAKI Masato Waseda University School of human Sciencis Associate Professor, 人間科学部, 教授 (10134248)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1992 – 1993
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| Keywords | blind / mobility training / affordance / perceptual systems / navigation |
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| Research Abstract |
In this study, information which promote navigation in underground spaces is presented. Without taking into account factors which are naturally embedded on the ground, there are peculiar structures that can be used for navigational purposes in an underground environment.
Through the participatory observation and oral report of a visually handicapped subject in experiments carried out in some underground spaces of Tokyo, our study revealed that the array of structured light and an array of contrast of colors supported straight walking. In addition, one example of a sumulation that illustrates the environment as perceived by the navigator while walking in an underground space is also presented.
We carried out participatory observation of the walking performed by a subject in several underground passages. In the course of our continuous study of the navigation of visually handicapped individuals, we had noticed that the walking of this subject had been remarkably straight. To investigate the informations that promote navigation, we not only observed but also collected descriptive data, that comprises the oral report of the subject. In addition, we interviewed with her after the trials.
The information that promoted her motion was analyzed by observation of her walking including its record on videotape and by the oral report by herself. This experiment was located in several underground passages in Tokyo. The data presented here were taken in Ikebukuro station and Iidabashi station. The subject had been well used to the former and the latter was a novel place.
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