Simulation of Spatial Disorientation in Human Walking Behavior: Optimizing Wandering Disutility Functions

Spatial orientation has been studied as one dimension of the abilities that humans use in the wayfinding processes (Golledge and Stimson 1997; Allen 1999). Rieser (1999) defines spatial orientation as “knowing where one is relative to objects in the surrounding environment.” However, human wayfinding abilities are seriously degraded in people experiencing dementia. Efforts to model the underlying cognitive mechanisms that lead to spatial disorientation are scarce. Such models, especially in human walking behavior, would be helpful in the study of movement patterns, as well as prediction of disoriented behaviors.