現代社會因網路及電腦的進步，上網人口增加及社群概念的發展下，3D虛擬社群或遊戲世界也逐漸普及，但也產生了尋路問題。真實世界中已有許多認知地圖元素相關研究，但有學者提出3D虛擬環境中更容易使人迷路，而至今未有針對3D虛擬世界提出認知地圖元素之研究，因此促使本研究進行3D虛擬世界認知地圖元素研究。
本研究採用質性研究，以訪談法及非參與式觀察法，整合受測者繪製之認知地圖後發現，3D虛擬環境認知地圖元素共七項，為地標、節點、路徑、邊緣、區域、符號、聚點。其認知地圖元素對使用者幫助分別為：地標能使人記住相對位置；路徑可幫助人熟悉環境；節點幫助人進行決策，但增加時會增加環境複雜度；區域能縮小尋路範圍；邊緣能界定空間邊緣；聚點具明顯及匯集人潮作用，但增加時會造成環境更複雜；符號能幫助人判斷方向。虛擬世界是一個仿真實的世界，因此包含Kaven Lnych提出之五項認知地圖元素，另外符號、聚點是因活動方式改變而產生的新元素。其中地標、邊緣、區域與真實世界具相同作用；路徑元素增加了方向提示作用，但因其中移動方式(飛、跑、走)多元而讓路徑及節點的需求降低。
有/無使用經驗之受測者的尋路績效結果顯示轉錯彎次數、後退次數均無顯著差異，到達時間有顯著差異。分析結果顯示符號能輔助所有受測者減少後退情形；節點容易使所有受測者轉錯彎及迷路；材質、建築形式會影響轉錯彎次數；無使用經驗之受測者較容易受生理狀況影響績效；有使用經驗之受測者較會運用區域元素來縮短尋路時間。
本研究以移動方式(飛行、走路或跑步)探討認知地圖元素之排序，其結果發現符號、地標在不同移動方式下受測者均認為是重要元素，但邊緣則是共同認為較沒幫助之元素；於飛行(鳥瞰視角)情況下路徑與節點重要程度下降，區域與聚點因容易被察覺到而上升；走路或跑步(第三人稱視角)情況下路徑與節點重要程度會上升，而區域與聚點變得不易察覺而下降。

Due to the advanced network and computer equipment, the growth of Internet population and the development of community concept in today's society, the 3-dimension (3D) virtual social network and the game world have gradually been universal. Along with it, the wayfinding problem arises in the virtual world. Some researchers suggested that it is easier to get lost in 3D virtual environments than real world. And an approach, used the elements of cognitive map in the real-world wayfinding problem, has been proposed.
This study adopted qualitative research, used interview and non-participant observation to integrate cognitive map sketching from subjects and discovered seven elements of cognitive map in the 3D virtual environment: landmark, node, path, edge, district, sign, and collect respectively. The help that elements help user are as below: Landmark can help people remember the comparatively site; Node can help people decide the aspect, but its’ increasing number creates environmental complexity; District can help to reduce area of wayfinding; edge can define margin of a space; Collect is provided with the function of distinctness and gathering people, but its’ increasing number leads the environment more complex; sign can help people judge the directions. Virtual world is a world that simulates the real world, so including five elements of cognitive map Kaven Lnych proposed, sign and node are new elements creates from changing of the way of activities; and landmark, path and district have the same function as real world. Moreover, the element of path adds the function of direction clew, but because of the multiple methods of remove(fly、run、walk) , the demand of path and node reduced.
Experiment of wayfinding performance shows that there is no difference between users who has experiences or not in number of wrong turn and back, but there is significantly different in arrived time. The analysis result shows that sign can assist all user in reducing back conditions, node is easy to let all user make wrong turns and lose, material and architecture shape affect the number of wrong turn, inexperienced users are easily affected by their physiology state, experienced users uses the elements of district to curtail time of wayfinding.
The study discuss the taxis of elements of cognitive map by the type of move (fly、walk and run). The result shows that all users thought that sign and landmark are important elements in every type of move, and edge is comparatively useless element. The importance of path and node decline at fly circumstance (Bird’s Eye View), conversely, the importance of district and collect increase for they are easily to be aware. The importance of path and node increase at walk and run circumstance (Third-Person View), but the importance of district and collect decline for they are difficult to be aware.

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