New study reveals the science behind giving directions. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have discovered the word order is linked to better instruction.
The latest research which is entitled 'Giving Good Directions: Order of Mention Reflects Visual Salience' shows that the receiver of instructions will be able to understand the directions well if there is better word order. This was confirmed by the scientists from the Institute for Language Cognition and Computation of the aforementioned university.
The study was conducted by asking for volunteers to find the location of Waldo, a famous character from children's book. Then using their own words they were tasked to tell directions on how to get to the said character as soon as possible.
The scientists found that when distinctive landmarks are used to give directions followed by the actual location, the time needed in giving directions is reduced. Those who used different wordings in giving directions consumed more time compared to the others.
Micha Elsner, one of the authors of the study who is also the Assistant Professor at the Department of Linguistics Micha Elsner in Ohio State University further explained the study.
"Listeners start processing the directions before they're finished, so it's good to give them a head start by pointing them towards something they can find quickly, such as a landmark," the co-author stated.
"But if the target your listener is looking for is itself easy to see, then you should just start your directions with that," added by the assistant professor.
The latest research also revealed that visual perception is important in order for the receiver to easily catch the direction given. The order of mentions also add to the understanding of the listener.
As shown in the result of the study, the giver of direction should start on giving recognizable and easy reference points before getting to the actual destination.
