Cognitive Decision-Making in TSP Tasks: The Impact of Line Stylization Features of Point Arrays

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is a classic NP-hard problem, and research on its cognitive decision-making often focuses on internal factors like memory and experience, while neglecting the influence of the problem's structural characteristics. This study identifies that potential linear features in the TSP point distribution (such as implied paths formed by visual aggregation) may significantly impact human path selection strategies. To test this hypothesis, we propose a method for quantifying the Line Stylization Degree and generate different TSP instances with varying characteristics by introducing disturbances. These are then combined with experimental analysis of participants' decision-making patterns. The results show that participants tend to plan paths along implied lines, and this strategy may reduce cognitive load. The contribution of this paper lies in revealing the shaping role of visual structural features on cognitive decision-making, providing theoretical support for designing human-centered path planning algorithms.