Xu – MAP SENSITIVITY VS MAP DEPENDENCY 2017

Description

This 14-page peer-reviewed study, “Map Sensitivity vs. Map Dependency,” by John Xu, published in *Behav. Sci.* in late 2017, offers a rigorous examination of how subway map designs influence passenger route choices in the Washington D.C. Metro system. The research features numerous visual aids, including the seven distinct D.C. Metro map designs tested, which clearly illustrate the study’s experimental setup. It involved over 500 participants recruited through both local advertising for frequent riders and Amazon Mechanical Turk for general residents, generating thousands of route choices. Supported by quantitative analysis and qualitative interviews, the research offers a trustworthy and insightful exploration. Its key significance lies in disproving the long-held assumption that frequent transit users are map-insensitive, thereby validating schematic maps as potent tools for managing passenger behavior. This open-access document is an essential read for transportation planners, cartographers, and behavioral scientists.