A Preliminary Evaluation of a Computerized Maze Task with Multiple Complexity Levels.
Abstract
To complete a series of experiments on multiple-task performance, it became necessary to identify a spatial task that did not require extensive use of visual short-term memory. The task had to be presented on a computer but, because of the limitations of the available graphics systems, the task could not require color discriminations or movement in three-dimensional space. Very few tasks met these requirements. Of these, the most promising were maze tasks. However, there was one serious problem associated with the use of mazes as experimental tasks: There was no way to describe a maze quantitatively. Such a description is necessary to relate maze characteristics to solution behavior. If the problem of maze quantification could be solved, several other problems remained. One problem was strictly practical in nature: To use mazes in research, it was necessary to develop a computer program that could generate a large number of mazes with specified characteristics. These characteristics could subsequently be quantified and related to solution behavior. A second problem was that the cognitive processes required to solve mazes had never been identified. To use mazes as spatial tasks, it was necessary to demonstrate that verbal information processing is not required to solve mazes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA170651
Entities
People
- Diane L. Damos
- Elizabeth A. Lyall
Organizations
- Arizona State University