Dommes and associates probed the usefulness of types of landmarks for wayfinding. Their study participants “navigated a virtual environment using a joystick. They were guided with a map or with GPS-like instructions, including either only visually or both visually and cognitively salient landmarks. . . . results showed that the integration of visually and cognitively salient landmarks in a map or in GPS-like instructions improved the construction of landmark and route knowledge. . . . Perceptual saliency is defined as the . . . potential of an object to grab attention. It . . . can be influenced by physical attributes such as size or colour for example. Cognitive saliency is defined as the . . . relies on the observer’s experience and personal knowledge. . . . Cognitive saliency as a characteristic of a given landmark can come from the object itself, from its semantical, historical and cultural significance.” A generic store labeled “boutique” used as a landmark lacks cognitive saliency but one labeled with a specific store name and logo has cognitive saliency.
Aurelie Dommes, Simon Lhullier, Vanessa Ligonniere, Mir Mostafavi, and Valerie Gyselinck. “Landmark-Based Guidance and Cognitive Saliency: Age-Related Benefits in Spatial Performance.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102377