Cognitive mapping without visual experience

Ungar, Simon

doi:10.4324/9781315812281-13

Cited by 52 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…On those maps, elements are presented in relief using different lines, symbols and textures that can be explored manually, and textual information is represented with braille. In several studies with people with visual impairment, raised-line maps have proved to be an effective tool for acquiring spatial knowledge (see, for instance, [5]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Interaction Techniques to Help Blind People Explore Maps on Small Tactile Devices

Simonnet

Brock

Serpa

et al. 2019

MTI

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Exploring geographic maps on touchscreens is a difficult task in the absence of vision as those devices miss tactile cues. Prior research has therefore introduced non-visual interaction techniques designed to allow visually impaired people to explore spatial configurations on tactile devices. In this paper, we present a study in which six blind and six blindfolded sighted participants evaluated three of those interaction techniques compared to a screen reader condition. We observed that techniques providing guidance result in a higher user satisfaction and more efficient exploration. Adding a grid-like structure improved the estimation of distances. None of the interaction techniques improved the reconstruction of the spatial configurations. The results of this study allow improving the design of non-visual interaction techniques that support a better exploration and memorization of maps in the absence of vision.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Interaction Techniques to Help Blind People Explore Maps on Small Tactile Devices

Simonnet

Brock

Serpa

et al. 2019

MTI

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“…Several tools are currently used, such as raised-line maps (RLMs) printed on swell-paper (see Figure 1 ); and numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of those maps for spatial learning (Ungar, 2000). However, raised lines maps are expensive, cumbersome to produce, and cannot easily be adapted to all learning situations (Rice et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Map Learning with a 3D Printed Interactive Small-Scale Model: Improvement of Space and Text Memorization in Visually Impaired Students

et al. 2017

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Special education teachers for visually impaired students rely on tools such as raised-line maps (RLMs) to teach spatial knowledge. These tools do not fully and adequately meet the needs of the teachers because they are long to produce, expensive, and not versatile enough to provide rapid updating of the content. For instance, the same RLM can barely be used during different lessons. In addition, those maps do not provide any interactivity, which reduces students’ autonomy. With the emergence of 3D printing and low-cost microcontrollers, it is now easy to design affordable interactive small-scale models (SSMs) which are adapted to the needs of special education teachers. However, no study has previously been conducted to evaluate non-visual learning using interactive SSMs. In collaboration with a specialized teacher, we designed a SSM and a RLM representing the evolution of the geography and history of a fictitious kingdom. The two conditions were compared in a study with 24 visually impaired students regarding the memorization of the spatial layout and historical contents. The study showed that the interactive SSM improved both space and text memorization as compared to the RLM with braille legend. In conclusion, we argue that affordable home-made interactive small scale models can improve learning for visually impaired students. Interestingly, they are adaptable to any teaching situation including students with specific needs.

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“…To perceive space, visually impaired children typically use hearing and touch. The case of hearing is particularly interesting because the auditory sense is not only the main channel for providing distal information (Spencer et al, 1989; Ungar, 2000) but also it might be superior to all other sensory alternatives because it provides spatial information in both active and passive conditions and it does not necessarily involve direct contact with objects (Wanet and Veraart, 1985; Jacobson, 1998). At the same time, the use of hearing to perceive distal information might be particularly difficult for visually impaired children because in this case they do not have any sensory feedback about sonorous objects in the far space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the same time, the use of hearing to perceive distal information might be particularly difficult for visually impaired children because in this case they do not have any sensory feedback about sonorous objects in the far space. On the contrary, the haptic-proprioceptive system can provide accurate spatial data only within the scope of the body itself (Ungar, 2000), and therefore a blind person must actively move in the environment to sequentially touch all the stimuli embedded in the space. For this reason, we developed an auditory localization task which assesses the ability of children to localize by touch an auditory sound source in near space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Early Visual Deprivation on Spatial Hearing: A Comparison between Totally and Partially Visually Deprived Children

Cappagli

Finocchietti

Cocchi³

et al. 2017

Front. Psychol.

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The specific role of early visual deprivation on spatial hearing is still unclear, mainly due to the difficulty of comparing similar spatial skills at different ages and to the difficulty in recruiting young blind children from birth. In this study, the effects of early visual deprivation on the development of auditory spatial localization have been assessed in a group of seven 3–5 years old children with congenital blindness (n = 2; light perception or no perception of light) or low vision (n = 5; visual acuity range 1.1–1.7 LogMAR), with the main aim to understand if visual experience is fundamental to the development of specific spatial skills. Our study led to three main findings: firstly, totally blind children performed overall more poorly compared sighted and low vision children in all the spatial tasks performed; secondly, low vision children performed equally or better than sighted children in the same auditory spatial tasks; thirdly, higher residual levels of visual acuity are positively correlated with better spatial performance in the dynamic condition of the auditory localization task indicating that the more residual vision the better spatial performance. These results suggest that early visual experience has an important role in the development of spatial cognition, even when the visual input during the critical period of visual calibration is partially degraded like in the case of low vision children. Overall these results shed light on the importance of early assessment of spatial impairments in visually impaired children and early intervention to prevent the risk of isolation and social exclusion.

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Cognitive mapping without visual experience

Cited by 52 publications

References 1 publication

Comparing Interaction Techniques to Help Blind People Explore Maps on Small Tactile Devices

Comparing Interaction Techniques to Help Blind People Explore Maps on Small Tactile Devices

Map Learning with a 3D Printed Interactive Small-Scale Model: Improvement of Space and Text Memorization in Visually Impaired Students

The Impact of Early Visual Deprivation on Spatial Hearing: A Comparison between Totally and Partially Visually Deprived Children

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