Abstract
The capacity of outdoor recreationists to recognize visual scenes they have experienced during an on-site engagement is reported. Visual recognition capacity is considered important since sightseeing is a major aspect of most wildland recreation engagements, and because "recollection" is a major component of the recreation experience. Visual recognition is also an important aspect of environmental perception and cognition; of how humans see an area and learn to know it. Seven hundred and fifty hikers of a National Park Service trail were surveyed, using a photo questionnaire, for their ability to recognize trail scenes after hiking the trail environment. Results indicate (1) human ability to recognize visual material may be as remarkable for natural environments as researchers have shown for built environments; (2) sightseeing is not a passive activity, hikers were able to recognize certain themes in the environment more effectively than others; (3) interpretive signs placed along the trail as an experimental control increased visitor familiarity (recognition) and preference for those scenes; (4) past experience, in the form of prior visits, viewing of photographic materials, and photography, did not influence visitor recognition capacity; and (5) visual familiarity and preference for scenes are not necessarily directly related.
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