The Effect of Wall Shapes on the Startle Reaction of Pedestrians on Half-Turn Staircases

Abstract

The present study investigated the influence of wall shape in half-turn staircases on startle reactions using a controlled virtual environment experiment.A virtual stairway model representing an ascent toward a landing was created in Unity. Participants viewed first-person walking footage through a head-mounted display (VIVE Pro Eye, HTC) while remaining seated, and their skin potential activity and walking continuation time were measured during the experiment. To simulate an unexpected encounter at the location where visibility is most restricted, a descending humanoid avatar appeared immediately before the participant reached the landing.Two experimental factors were manipulated: pedestrian presence (present/absent) and wall shape (four types). One full-height wall (2400 mm) and three handrail-wall configurations (700 mm, 900 mm, 1100 mm), each featuring a 1000 mm sloped coping, were tested. The results demonstrated that the inner wall configuration of a half-turn staircase significantly influenced both walking behavior and skin potential responses. Under the full-height wall condition, restricted visual information delayed the recognition of an approaching pedestrian. As a result, the decision to stop was delayed, leading to a longer walking continuation time. In contrast, under the handrail-wall configurations, improved visibility enabled earlier pedestrian detection and facilitated quicker avoidance decisions, resulting in a shorter walking continuation time. Furthermore, the presence of a pedestrian increased the startle response, and this effect was particularly pronounced under the full-height wall configuration, where visual occlusion was greater. By comparison, under the handrail-wall configurations, the increase in skin potential response associated with the pedestrian’s presence was relatively attenuated. Overall, these findings suggest that wall openness constitutes a meaningful architectural implication for improving psychological comfort and safety perceptions in circulation spaces.

Keywords: Half-turn Staircase, Virtual Environment, Startle Reaction, Visibility, Blind Spot

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007967