The impact of spatial scale on layout learning and individual evacuation behavior in indoor fires: single-scale learning perspectives

Abstract

The detail and representation of a spatial layout varies with scale. This affects an individual’s learning effectiveness and understanding, in turn directly influencing their behavior in a fire evacuation. However, the impact of layout learning methods with different spatial scales on fire evacuation behavior, and the relationship between spatial cognition and evacuation effects, remains unclear. We conducted spatial layout learning across three scales with 81 participants and simulated a fire evacuation scenario in a mobile virtual reality for groups. We collected evacuation decision-making and user experience questionnaires as supplementary data. The results demonstrate that small-scale learning objects are the easiest for participants to understand in terms of spatial layout and relationships, but their performance in fire evacuation is poor. Large-scale learning objects significantly improve participants’ evacuation efficiency. Spatial layout learning plays a crucial role in fire evacuation outcomes, but traditional spatial knowledge acquisition measurement methods cannot predict fire evacuation performance. This study sheds light on how spatial cognition influences fire evacuation behavior and provides a more reliable fire evacuation simulation method based on mobile virtual reality (MVR).