Map Cognitive Load, Spatial Complexity, and Target Location Distribution: Evidence from Multimodal Data

This study investigates the evolution of cognitive load in map navigation scenarios, a topic that carries key theoretical and practical value for optimizing map interface layouts and improving navigation visualization. This study adopts a map target search task as the experimental context and employs a 3 × 4 within-subjects design. Task performance, questionnaire scores, and multimodal physiological data (eye-tracking, photoplethysmography, and electrodermal activity) are simultaneously collected. This study applies two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA and linear mixed-effects model to systematically examine the effects of spatial complexity and target location distribution on extraneous map cognitive load. The results demonstrate that high spatial complexity significantly raises extraneous map cognitive load, while target locations in the upper-right quadrant produce the highest extraneous map cognitive load. All eye-tracking indicators, mean heart rate, interbeat interval, low-frequency power, and numbers of skin conductance responses exhibit statistical sensitivity to extraneous map cognitive load manipulations in the map target search task. Fixation duration, low‑frequency power, and numbers of skin conductance responses can genuinely reflect variations in extraneous map cognitive load. This study enriches the theoretical framework of map cognitive load, extends the application of multimodal physiological measurements within cartography, and provides empirical evidence that supports optimized map interface design and cognitive assistance strategies for navigation tasks.