%0 PDF %T Heuristic Processes During Route Planning: Race and the Southern Route Bias %A Maguire, Katelin Marie %8 2005-06-20 %I Tufts Archival Research Center %R http://localhost/files/w3763j82z %X Previous research has shown that when choosing between two routes of similar length on a map, individuals select the southern route, rather than the northern route, at an above-chance rate. In real world settings, non-spatial information is also involved when perceiving spatial environments. I sought to examine how a social component, information about racial categories, would interact with this proven heuristic during route planning. I hypothesized that the use of racial information would take precedence over other heuristic processes that operate during route planning, leading participants to select routes containing predominantly White residents more often than those containing Black residents, regardless of the direction of the route. Critically, I did not find a southern route bias when modifying the paradigm. However, I did find a bias on east/west dilemma trials: Participants chose western-going routes at an above-chance rate, as compared to eastern-going routes. Further, participants had a better memory for Black faces as compared to White faces, contrary to other-race effects. Implications for future research are discussed with regard to theories of navigation and spatial cognition. %[ 2022-10-07 %~ Tufts Digital Library %W Institution