How anxiety and growth mindset are linked to navigation ability: Impacts of exploration and GPS use

There are large individual differences in navigation ability, but we know little about the causes of these differences. Here, we examine how motivational and emotional dispositions affect every-day navigation and in turn influence navigation ability. We developed three new self-report surveys, measuring growth mindset in regard to navigation ability, tendency to explore new places, and tendency to rely on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) during navigation. In Study 1 (N = 123) we developed initial measures and in Study 2 (N = 150) we refined these measures and developed mediation models to test how motivational and emotional dispositions affect human navigation. Findings indicated that people with low spatial anxiety tend to explore their environments more and rely less on GPS during navigation. Moreover, these navigation behaviors partially mediate the relationship between anxiety and self-reported navigation ability. Growth mindset in navigation ability (a belief that one's navigation ability can be improved) explains a unique portion of variance in self-reported navigation ability, suggesting that growth mindset may motivate people to seek out navigation challenges and train themselves to be more effective navigators in daily life. This study paves a new path for understanding how motivational and emotional dispositions affect the development of navigation ability and provides insights for future navigation training programs. The new self-report surveys and a revised Spatial Anxiety Survey are available on the Open Science Framework website.