Spatial memory during progressive disorientation.

Sargent, Jesse; Dopkins, Stephen; Philbeck, John W.; Modarres, Reza

doi:10.1037/0278-7393.34.3.602

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The conclusion that representations of self-to-object and object-to-object spatial relations coexisted is consistent with the findings in previous studies (Sargent et al, 2008; Waller & Hodgson, 2006). The interaction between layout geometry and learning position on the selection of reference objects (egocentrically or allocentrically) has not been reported before.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Use of self-to-object and object-to-object spatial relations in locomotion.

Xiao¹,

Mou²,

McNamara³

2009

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cogni

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Eight experiments examined the use of representations of self-to-object or object-to-object spatial relations during locomotion. Participants learned geometrically regular or irregular layouts of objects while standing at the edge or in the middle, and then pointed to objects while blindfolded in three conditions: before turning (baseline), after rotating 240 degrees (updating), and after disorientation (disorientation). The internal consistency of pointing in the disorientation condition was equivalent to that in the updating condition when participants learned the regular layout. The internal consistency of pointing was disrupted by disorientation when participants learned the irregular layout. However when participants who learned the regular layout were instructed to use self-to-object spatial relations, the effect of disorientation on pointing consistency appeared. When participants who learned the irregular layout at the periphery of the layout were instructed to use object-to-object spatial relations, the effect of disorientation disappeared. These results suggest that people represent both self-to-object and object-to-object spatial relations, and primarily use object-to-object spatial representation in a regular layout and self-to-object spatial representation in an irregular layout.Keywords self-to-object spatial relations; object-to-object spatial relations; spatial updating; disorientation An object's location is usually perceived in the context of other objects. When a person locomotes in an environment, he or she may encounter many different arrays of objects. On some occasions, an array of objects forms a more regular structure. For example, tables in a classroom are aligned column by column, row by row. But on other occasions, an array of objects forms a less regular structure. For example, objects in an office (e.g., phone, mug, pen, stapler) may appear to be arranged haphazardly. Research has shown that human spatial memory tends to regularize the structure of an array of objects so as to line up objects relative to each other (e.g., Tversky, 1981). The aim of this project was to investigate whether the regularity of array structure 1 also affects the nature of spatial memory, in particular the selection of reference object (egocentric or allocentric) in spatial memory.Corresponding author: Weimin Mou, P217 Biological Sciences Bldg, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9, wmou@ualberta.ca. 1 The regularity of array structure is determined by whether objects in the array line up row by row and column by column. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptOne key question of research on spatial memory is to determine the extent to which spatial memory depends on egocentric or allocentric frames of reference (e.g. Burgess, 2006;Easton & Sholl, 1995;Klatzky, 1998;McNamara, Rump, & Werner, 2003;Shelton & McNamara, 2001;Sholl, 2001;Wang & Spelke, 2000;2002). Egocentric means that the spatial reference...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Use of self-to-object and object-to-object spatial relations in locomotion.

Xiao¹,

Mou²,

McNamara³

2009

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cogni

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“…The pointer’s axis of rotation was offset 24.75 cm from that of the chair. Although this offset could require slight transformations of self-to-target directional responses, use of such an offset is common in the literature (e.g., Easton & Sholl, 1995; Holmes & Sholl, 2005; Sargent et al, 2008). Participants in the current study underwent pointer training so that they would become familiar with the offset.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sargent, Dopkins, Philbeck, and Modarrez (2008) searched for evidence that spatial representations are updated in both global and piecemeal fashion. Participants learned the location of four target objects in a room-sized environment from a fixed heading amid the array.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Chunking in spatial memory.

Sargent

Dopkins

Philbeck

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cogni

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In order to gain insight into the nature of human spatial representations, the current study examined how those representations are affected by blind rotation. Evidence was sought on the possibility that whereas certain environmental aspects may be updated independently of one another, other aspects may be grouped (or chunked) together and updated as a unit. Participants learned the locations of an array of objects around them in a room, then were blindfolded and underwent a succession of passive, whole-body rotations. After each rotation, participants pointed to remembered target locations. Targets were located more precisely relative to each other if they were (a) separated by smaller angular distances, (b) contained within the same regularly configured arrangement, or (c) corresponded to parts of a common object. A hypothesis is presented describing the roles played by egocentric and allocentric information within the spatial updating system. Results are interpreted in terms of an existing neural systems model, elaborating the model's conceptualization of how parietal (egocentric) and medial temporal (allocentric) representations interact. Keywords spatial memory; spatial updating; egocentric; allocentric; chunking On the basis of perceptual experience with the immediate environment, humans and other animals construct internal representations of the landmarks, boundaries, and objects that make up that environment. Evidence of these persisting internal representations is provided by the ability to locate objects and landmarks in the absence of ongoing perceptual support (e.g., Kosslyn, Ball, & Reiser, 1978;McNamara, 1986) and by neurophysiological data (e.g., Burgess & O'Keefe, 1996;Cressant, Muller, & Poucet, 1997;Ekstrom et al., 2003). As an organism navigates through the environment, these internal representations are updated to reflect the changing relationship between the organism and its surroundings (e.g., Müller & Wehner, 1988;Philbeck, Loomis, & Beall, 1997;Rieser, 1989;Waller, Montello, Richardson, & Hegarty, 2002). In the current study, we examined errors that accrue over this spatial updating process for evidence that a representation of a room-sized environment may be composed of "chunks," each of which contains location information for a different part of that environment.Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jesse Sargent, who is now at the Department of Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1125, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899. jsargent@artsci.wustl.edu. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptPrevious work provides a precedent for the possibility that this type of chunking might occur in spatial memory. Brockmole (2003a, 2003b) provided evidence that as humans navigate through larger environments (e.g., college campuses), they only actively update spatial aspects of the subenvironment (e.g., room) currently inhabited. Thus, it appears that spatial memory for larger environm...

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“…The disorientation effect when people learn an irregular layout while standing in the middle of it was replicated in several follow-up studies (Mou, McNamara, Rump, & Xiao, 2006; Waller & Hodgson, 2006; Xiao, Mou, & McNamara, 2009; Sargent, Dopkins, Philbeck, & Modarres, 2008; but see Holmes & Sholl, 2005). There are two alternative explanations of the disorientation effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Retrieving enduring spatial representations after disorientation

Li¹,

Mou²,

McNamara³

2012

Cognition

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Four experiments tested whether there are enduring spatial representations of objects’ locations in memory. Previous studies have shown that under certain conditions the internal consistency of pointing to objects using memory is disrupted by disorientation. This disorientation effect has been attributed to an absence of or to imprecise enduring spatial representations of objects’ locations. Experiment 1 replicated the standard disorientation effect. Participants learned locations of objects in an irregular layout and then pointed to objects after physically turning to face an object and after disorientation. The expected disorientation was observed. In Experiment 2, after disorientation, participants were asked to imagine they were facing the original learning direction and then physically turned to adopt the test orientation. In Experiment 3, after disorientation, participants turned to adopt the test orientation and then were informed of the original viewing direction by the experimenter. A disorientation effect was not observed in Experiment 2 or 3. In Experiment 4, after disorientation, participants turned to face the test orientation but were not told the original learning orientation. As in Experiment 1, a disorientation effect was observed. These results suggest that there are enduring spatial representations of objects’ locations specified in terms of a spatial reference direction parallel to the learning view, and that the disorientation effect is caused by uncertainty in recovering the spatial reference direction relative to the testing orientation following disorientation.

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Spatial memory during progressive disorientation.

Cited by 20 publications

References 38 publications

Use of self-to-object and object-to-object spatial relations in locomotion.

Use of self-to-object and object-to-object spatial relations in locomotion.

Chunking in spatial memory.

Retrieving enduring spatial representations after disorientation

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