Behavioral dynamics of steering, obstacle avoidance, and route selection.

Full Abstract

The authors investigated the dynamics of steering and obstacle avoidance, with the aim of predicting routes through complex scenes. Participants walked in a virtual environment toward a goal (Experiment 1) and around an obstacle (Experiment 2) whose initial angle and distance varied. Goals and obstacles behave as attractors and repellers of heading, respectively, whose strengths depend on distance. The observed behavior was modeled as a dynamical system in which angular acceleration is a function of goal and obstacle angle and distance. By linearly combining terms for goals and obstacles, one could predict whether participants adopt a route to the left or right of an obstacle to reach a go (Experiment 3). Route selection may emerge from on-line steering dynamics, making explicit path planning unnecessary.

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Author information

Author/s: Fajen, Brett R (BR); Warren, William H (WH);

Affiliation: Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences, Brown University, USA. fajenb@rpi.edu

Grants: EY10923 (Agency:United States NEI) ; K02 MH01353 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance (J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2003-Apr; vol 29 (issue 2) : pp 343-62

Dates: Created 2003/05/22; Completed 2003/09/09; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12760620, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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