Spatial cognition of people with visual impairments from the perspective of interpenetration between action and environment

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K20457
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0304:Architecture, building engineering, and related fields
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Hirai Momoka 東北大学, 工学研究科, 助手 (40882593)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚障害者 / 空間認知 / 自宅 / 環境 / 行為

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focused on the homes of people with visual impairment and clarified the characteristics of spatial cognition based on the relationship between action and environment.
Focusing on tabletop, people with visual impairment used tactile perception to grasp the space around them, arranging objects along the edge of the desk, and eating on a tray to clarify the area where the tableware was placed.
In addition, to reaffirm the environment that changes during the act, two methods were observed: one was to fix the arrangement of objects and focus on memory, and the other was to make high-frequency contact and grasp the environment sequentially.

Free Research Field

建築計画

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまでの視覚障害者の空間認知に関する研究は、公共空間での歩行が対象とされる場合が多く、白杖や周囲の音環境の利用方法や、案内アプリケーションの効果などが検証されてきた。一方、身の回りの生活空間における空間認知は、あまり着目されていなかった。
本研究の学術的意義は、視覚障害者の自宅を対象に、身の回りの生活空間における空間認知の実態を明らかにしたことである。こうした知見は、中途視覚障害者が自宅の空間を構築し直す際の手がかりや、生活行為のリハビリテーションの手がかりとなる社会的意義も有している。