Using a picture (or a thousand words) for supporting spatial knowledge of a complex virtual environment.

ABSTRACT: External representations powerfully support and augment complex human behavior. When navigating, people often consult external representations to help them find the way to go, but do maps or verbal instructions improve spatial knowledge or support effective wayfinding? Here, we examine spatial knowledge with and without external representations in two studies where participants learn a complex virtual environment. In the first study, we asked participants to generate their own maps or verbal instructions, partway through learning. We found no evidence of improved spatial knowledge in a pointing task requiring participants to infer the direction between two targets, either on the same route or on different routes, and no differences between groups in accurately recreating a map of the targe

SUBMITTER: Jaeger AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10368603 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature