Wayfinding strategies in an outdoor environment: Effects of global landmarks, configural knowledge, and spatial anxiety

Wayfinding strategies are shaped by environmental features and individual differences. This study examined how directing attention to a global landmark, configural knowledge, and trait spatial anxiety influence wayfinding strategies in an outdoor environment. Participants learned a route, with the experimental group reminded to attend a distal mountain range. No group differences emerged in configural knowledge or wayfinding strategies. Individual differences analyses revealed that better configural knowledge and lower spatial anxiety independently predicted shortcutting, and spatial anxiety mediated sex differences in strategy use. These findings advance understanding of how environmental characteristics and individual dispositions shape spatial layout learning and wayfinding strategies.