Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!burl!codas!usfvax2!pdn!reggie
From: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: spatial reference in natural language
Message-ID: <1917@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 16 Dec 87 16:34:24 GMT
References: <6818@sunybcs.UUCP> <1557@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk>
Reply-To: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach)
Organization: Paradyne Corporation,   Largo FL
Lines: 35



In article <1557@brahma.cs.hw.ac.uk> jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin) writes:


>There is one kind of spatial language you want to avoid AT ALL COSTS in anything
>that will be interacting with car drivers (or people controlling other fast and
>dangerous machines) - "left" and "right". I can't remember the exact source
>for this, but it has been shown that it is very much harder for people to map 
>these words onto specific spatial directions than to react to a pointing finger
>or equivalent. (this is certainly true for me - if I'm navigating for someone
>driving fast through town, I can't give accurate directions verbally; I have to
>point). I believe there is a great deal of  variation in people's ability
>to do this.


       Many people I know who are giving directions as I am driving tend to
say things like: "I meant to tell you to turn back there (pointing out the
rear view window) :-) 


       I think that the problem lies in someone's ability to provide directions
in enough time for the driver to react.  Many times if we are not completely
familiar with the path we are traversing, the direction givers must first get
themselves oriented properly and look for the right place to turn.  It is not
simply a matter of saying "right" or "left", but also where to make the turn.
Everything is further complicated if we are dealing with multiple lanes that
require the driver to be in the appropriate lane to make a turn!!!!


-- 
George W. Leach					Paradyne Corporation
{gatech,rutgers,attmail}!codas!pdn!reggie	Mail stop LF-207
Phone: (813) 530-2376				P.O. Box 2826
						Largo, FL  34649-2826