Spatial memory: Properties and organization.

McNamara, Timothy P.

doi:10.1037/13936-010

Cited by 25 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 98 publications

(143 reference statements)

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“…Knowing where one is, where food and water resources are, and how to get to safety are examples of effective use of spatial memories that are essential for animal survival. Humans depend on their ability to remember the locations of objects in the environment on a daily basis, ranging from retrieving a mobile phone from a purse to making one's way to work and back home (McNamara, 2013 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hippocampal 5-HT1A Receptor and Spatial Learning and Memory

et al. 2015

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Spatial cognition is fundamental for survival in the topographically complex environments inhabited by humans and other animals. The hippocampus, which has a central role in spatial cognition, is characterized by high concentration of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) receptor binding sites, particularly of the 1A receptor (5-HT1A) subtype. This review highlights converging evidence for the role of hippocampal 5-HT1A receptors in spatial learning and memory. We consider studies showing that activation or blockade of the 5-HT1A receptors using agonists or antagonists, respectively, lead to changes in spatial learning and memory. For example, pharmacological manipulation to induce 5-HT release, or to block 5-HT uptake, have indicated that increased extracellular 5-HT concentrations maintain or improve memory performance. In contrast, reduced levels of 5-HT have been shown to impair spatial memory. Furthermore, the lack of 5-HT1A receptor subtype in single gene knockout mice is specifically associated with spatial memory impairments. These findings, along with evidence from recent cognitive imaging studies using positron emission tomography (PET) with 5-HT1A receptor ligands, and studies of individual genetic variance in 5-HT1A receptor availability, strongly suggests that 5-HT, mediated by the 5-HT1A receptor subtype, plays a key role in spatial learning and memory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hippocampal 5-HT1A Receptor and Spatial Learning and Memory

et al. 2015

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“…According to Siegel and White (1975) , spatial memories include three levels of spatial knowledge: landmark knowledge, route knowledge, and survey knowledge. Landmark knowledge is knowledge of objects and places based on their appearances or subjective importance in the environment, “without knowing their relative spatial relationship” ( Iachini et al, 2009 , p. 228; McNamara, 2013 ). Route knowledge is sequence knowledge connecting objects or places ( Siegel and White, 1975 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wayfinding in Interior Environments: An Integrative Review

2020

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Wayfinding is an issue in complex facilities-including hospitals, airports, and office buildings-and wayfinding difficulties are associated with negative psychological and physiological consequences. In addition, since finding one's way in a building is a prerequisite for successfully using that building, wayfinding has attracted the attention of scholars and decision makers. The goal of this article is to review and synthesize the published literature on wayfinding in interior environments. A systematic search was conducted of four databases: PsychINFO, JSTOR, ProQuest, and EBSCO. A hand search was also conducted. From the initial harvest of 804 records, a total of 84 records met the inclusion criteria for full review. After several rounds of review, four broad domains were identified: (1) wayfinding cognition, (2) wayfinding behavior, (3) individual and group differences, and (4) environmental factors. These domains are used as a framework to organize the findings, and the review shows that the sub-domains most thoroughly addressed in the literature are spatial memories, floor plan configuration, landmarks, signs, and maps. This review can deepen the field's understanding of factors that contribute to interior wayfinding and can serve as a resource for decision makers and designers.

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“…This means that, for instance, distortion tendencies in spatial memory should be reduced as much as possible. To achieve this, one possibility is offered by the characteristics of the distortions themselves, as distortions mainly follow systematic and predictable structures [ 11 , 21 – 24 ]. If such predictable structures of spatial distortions are being considered right at the beginning of making a map, characteristic errors in location memory can be avoided.…”

Section: Distortions In Object-location Memorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A topographic map, for instance, provides information about spatial objects, such as their geometric and semantic properties, about spatial arrangement (patterns) and also about their position within a spatial reference system. All these aspects contribute to the formation of cognitive representations of space [ 11 ]. In the process of building a cognitive map with access to all this information simultaneously, the map user is able to filter and connect certain information to construct an effective cognitive map.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Audiovisual communication of object-names improves the spatial accuracy of recalled object-locations in topographic maps

et al. 2017

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Knowing the correct location of a specific object learned from a (topographic) map is fundamental for orientation and navigation tasks. Spatial reference systems, such as coordinates or cardinal directions, are helpful tools for any geometric localization of positions that aims to be as exact as possible. Considering modern visualization techniques of multimedia cartography, map elements transferred through the auditory channel can be added easily. Audiovisual approaches have been discussed in the cartographic community for many years. However, the effectiveness of audiovisual map elements for map use has hardly been explored so far. Within an interdisciplinary (cartography-cognitive psychology) research project, it is examined whether map users remember object-locations better if they do not just read the corresponding place names, but also listen to them as voice recordings. This approach is based on the idea that learning object-identities influences learning object-locations, which is crucial for map-reading tasks. The results of an empirical study show that the additional auditory communication of object names not only improves memory for the names (object-identities), but also for the spatial accuracy of their corresponding object-locations. The audiovisual communication of semantic attribute information of a spatial object seems to improve the binding of object-identity and object-location, which enhances the spatial accuracy of object-location memory.

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Spatial memory: Properties and organization.

Abstract: Experiments 3 and 4). McNamara (2003) discussed possible explanations of these findings in detail.

Cited by 25 publications

References 98 publications

Hippocampal 5-HT1A Receptor and Spatial Learning and Memory

Hippocampal 5-HT1A Receptor and Spatial Learning and Memory

Wayfinding in Interior Environments: An Integrative Review

Audiovisual communication of object-names improves the spatial accuracy of recalled object-locations in topographic maps

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