The Utilization of External and Movement Cues in Simple Spatial Tasks by Blind and Sighted Children

Perception ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Millar
Keyword(s):  
Visual Experience ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Spatial Position ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
External Cues ◽  
Self Reference

The role of visual experience in coding spatial position by movements or by external cues was examined in simple (nonrotational) shift tasks with blind and sighted children. Age and the salience of external cues were also of interest. Results showed that the congenitally totally blind used movement cues significantly more even when external cues were present and prominent. The blind with minimal visual experience coded by external cues, but made errors beyond the age by which blindfolded sighted children performed correctly. It was argued that visual experience affects coding by drawing attention to external cues, and by providing more adequate spatial information than other sources usually available to the blind. In its absence, movement coding and self-reference can become preferred strategies.

scholarly journals Visual Experience is not Necessary for Productive Spatial Cognition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Nouraeinejad
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Spatial Cognition ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
True Nature ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Impaired People

The competence to perceive the spatial surroundings is vital to tasks ranging from catching nearby objects to complex navigation through an unknown environment. Yet, many studies testing the functioning of visually impaired people in spatial tasks reported mixed results. Although the role of vision still remains critical in various aspects for such activities, vision experience is not necessarily needed for productive spatial cognition. The neural plasticity    of the remaining modalities can reorganize the human brain to compensate the effects of blindness in order to efficiently implement the spatial cognition for navigating. The ability to discern the true nature of the human spatial cognition will lead to potential precise applications in the development of aids for visually impaired people.

scholarly journals Role of the head-direction signal in spatial tasks: when and how does it guide behavior?

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahaf Weiss ◽  
Dori Derdikman
Keyword(s):  
Information Flow ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Head Direction ◽  
Current Review ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
External Cues ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Since their discovery, mammalian head-direction (HD) cells have been extensively researched in terms of sensory origins, external cue control, and circuitry. However, the relationship of HD cells to behavior is not yet fully understood. In the current review, we examine the anatomical clues for information flow in the HD circuit and an emerging body of evidence that links neural activity of HD cells and spatial orientation. We hypothesize from results obtained in spatial orientation tasks involving HD cells that when properly aligned with available external cues, the HD signal could be used for guiding rats to a goal location. However, contradictory inputs from separate sensory systems may reduce the influence of the HD signal such that animals are able to switch between this and other systems according to their impact on behavior.

The Effect of Path Length and Display Size on Memory for Spatial Information

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 147-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Guérard ◽  
Sébastien Tremblay
Keyword(s):  
Path Length ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Recall Performance ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Length Effect ◽  
Serial Memory ◽  
Fixed Reference ◽  
A Minor

In serial memory for spatial information, some studies showed that recall performance suffers when the distance between successive locations increases relatively to the size of the display in which they are presented (the path length effect; e.g., Parmentier et al., 2005) but not when distance is increased by enlarging the size of the display (e.g., Smyth & Scholey, 1994). In the present study, we examined the effect of varying the absolute and relative distance between to-be-remembered items on memory for spatial information. We manipulated path length using small (15″) and large (64″) screens within the same design. In two experiments, we showed that distance was disruptive mainly when it is varied relatively to a fixed reference frame, though increasing the size of the display also had a small deleterious effect on recall. The insertion of a retention interval did not influence these effects, suggesting that rehearsal plays a minor role in mediating the effects of distance on serial spatial memory. We discuss the potential role of perceptual organization in light of the pattern of results.

Organisational aspects of spatial information infrastructure in Poland

2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elzbieta Bielecka ◽  
Agnieszka Zwirowicz-Rutkowska
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Information ◽  
Information Infrastructure ◽  
Class Diagram ◽  
Use Case ◽  
Legal Regulations ◽  
Organisational Structure ◽  
Technical Aspects ◽  
Polish Law

Abstract One of the more important elements of spatial information infrastructure is the organisational structure defining the obligations and dependencies between stakeholders that are responsible for the infrastructure. Many SDI practitioners and theoreticians emphasise that its influence on the success or failure of activities undertaken is significantly greater than that of technical aspects. Being aware of the role of the organisational structure in the creating, operating and maintenance of spatial information infrastructure (SII), Polish legislators placed appropriate regulations in the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act, being the transposition of the INSPIRE Directive into Polish Law. The principal spatial information infrastructure stakeholders are discussed in the article and also the scope of cooperation between them. The tasks and relationships between stakeholders are illustrated in UML, in both the use case and the class diagram. Mentioned also are the main problems and obstructions resulting from imprecise legal regulations.

scholarly journals Cognitive map formation through haptic and visual exploration of tactile city-like maps

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Loes Ottink ◽  
Marit Hoogendonk ◽  
Christian F. Doeller ◽  
Thea M. Van der Geest ◽  
Richard J. A. Van Wezel
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Cognitive Map ◽  
Visual Exploration ◽  
Distinct Advantage ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Map Learning ◽  
Scale Models ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Tactile Maps

AbstractIn this study, we compared cognitive map formation of small-scale models of city-like environments presented in visual or tactile/haptic modalities. Previous research often addresses only a limited amount of cognitive map aspects. We wanted to combine several of these aspects to elucidate a more complete view. Therefore, we assessed different types of spatial information, and consider egocentric as well as allocentric perspectives. Furthermore, we compared haptic map learning with visual map learning. In total 18 sighted participants (9 in a haptic condition, 9 visuo-haptic) learned three tactile maps of city-like environments. The maps differed in complexity, and had five marked locations associated with unique items. Participants estimated distances between item pairs, rebuilt the map, recalled locations, and navigated two routes, after learning each map. All participants overall performed well on the spatial tasks. Interestingly, only on the complex maps, participants performed worse in the haptic condition than the visuo-haptic, suggesting no distinct advantage of vision on the simple map. These results support ideas of modality-independent representations of space. Although it is less clear on the more complex maps, our findings indicate that participants using only haptic or a combination of haptic and visual information both form a quite accurate cognitive map of a simple tactile city-like map.

scholarly journals The Role of Gender and Familiarity in a Modified Version of the Almeria Boxes Room Spatial Task

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 681
Author(s):  
Alessia Bocchi ◽  
Massimiliano Palmiero ◽  
Jose Manuel Cimadevilla Redondo ◽  
Laura Tascón ◽  
Raffaella Nori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Initial Phase ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Spatial Task ◽  
Individual Factors ◽  
Learning Tasks ◽  
Position Learning ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
Environmental Representation

Individual factors like gender and familiarity can affect the kind of environmental representation that a person acquires during spatial navigation. Men seem to prefer relying on map-like survey representations, while women prefer using sequential route representations. Moreover, a good familiarity with the environment allows more complete environmental representations. This study was aimed at investigating gender differences in two different object-position learning tasks (i.e., Almeria Boxes Tasks) assuming a route or a survey perspective also considering the role of environmental familiarity. Two groups of participants had to learn the position of boxes placed in a virtual room. Participants had several trials, so that familiarity with the environment could increase. In both tasks, the effects of gender and familiarity were found, and only in the route perspective did an interaction effect emerge. This suggests that gender differences can be found regardless of the perspective taken, with men outperforming women in navigational tasks. However, in the route task, gender differences appeared only at the initial phase of learning, when the environment was unexplored, and disappeared when familiarity with the environment increased. This is consistent with studies showing that familiarity can mitigate gender differences in spatial tasks, especially in more complex ones.

scholarly journals Self-referential false associations: A self-enhanced constructive effect for verbal but not pictorial stimuli

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110097
Author(s):  
Jianqin Wang ◽  
Henry Otgaar ◽  
Mark L Howe ◽  
Sen Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Episodic Memory ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Reference Condition ◽  
Spreading Activation ◽  
Critical Lure ◽  
Picture Stimuli ◽  
Own Name ◽  
Self Reference

Memory is considered to be a flexible and reconstructive system. However, there is little experimental evidence demonstrating how associations are falsely constructed in memory, and even less is known about the role of the self in memory construction. We investigated whether false associations involving non-presented stimuli can be constructed in episodic memory and whether the self plays a role in such memory construction. In two experiments, we paired participants’ own names (i.e., self-reference) or the name “Adele” (i.e., other-reference) with words and pictures from Deese/Roediger–McDermott (DRM) lists. We found that (1) participants not only falsely remembered the non-presented lure words and pictures as having been presented, but also misremembered that they were paired with their own name or “Adele,” depending on the referenced person of related DRM lists; and (2) there were more critical lure–self associations constructed in the self-reference condition than critical lure–other associations in the other-reference condition for word but not for picture stimuli. These results suggest a self-enhanced constructive effect that might be driven by both relational and item-specific processing. Our results support the spreading-activation account for constructive episodic memory.

scholarly journals The Role of Spatio-Temporal Information to Govern the COVID-19 Pandemic: A European Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Hartmut Müller ◽  
Marije Louwsma
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
National Level ◽  
Temporal Information ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Heavy Burden ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The Covid-19 pandemic put a heavy burden on member states in the European Union. To govern the pandemic, having access to reliable geo-information is key for monitoring the spatial distribution of the outbreak over time. This study aims to analyze the role of spatio-temporal information in governing the pandemic in the European Union and its member states. The European Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) system and selected national dashboards from member states were assessed to analyze which spatio-temporal information was used, how the information was visualized and whether this changed over the course of the pandemic. Initially, member states focused on their own jurisdiction by creating national dashboards to monitor the pandemic. Information between member states was not aligned. Producing reliable data and timeliness reporting was problematic, just like selecting indictors to monitor the spatial distribution and intensity of the outbreak. Over the course of the pandemic, with more knowledge about the virus and its characteristics, interventions of member states to govern the outbreak were better aligned at the European level. However, further integration and alignment of public health data, statistical data and spatio-temporal data could provide even better information for governments and actors involved in managing the outbreak, both at national and supra-national level. The Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) initiative and the NUTS system provide a framework to guide future integration and extension of existing systems.

scholarly journals Collicular Vision Guides Nonconscious Behavior

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 888-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Tamietto ◽  
Franco Cauda ◽  
Luca Latini Corazzini ◽  
Silvia Savazzi ◽  
Carlo A. Marzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Experience ◽  
Striate Cortex ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Visuomotor Integration ◽  
Motor Processing ◽  
Pupillary Responses ◽  
Cortex Area ◽  
Extrastriate Areas

Following destruction or deafferentation of primary visual cortex (area V1, striate cortex), clinical blindness ensues, but residual visual functions may, nevertheless, persist without perceptual consciousness (a condition termed blindsight). The study of patients with such lesions thus offers a unique opportunity to investigate what visual capacities are mediated by the extrastriate pathways that bypass V1. Here we provide evidence for a crucial role of the collicular–extrastriate pathway in nonconscious visuomotor integration by showing that, in the absence of V1, the superior colliculus (SC) is essential to translate visual signals that cannot be consciously perceived into motor outputs. We found that a gray stimulus presented in the blind field of a patient with unilateral V1 loss, although not consciously seen, can influence his behavioral and pupillary responses to consciously perceived stimuli in the intact field (implicit bilateral summation). Notably, this effect was accompanied by selective activations in the SC and in occipito-temporal extrastriate areas. However, when instead of gray stimuli we presented purple stimuli, which predominantly draw on S-cones and are thus invisible to the SC, any evidence of implicit visuomotor integration disappeared and activations in the SC dropped significantly. The present findings show that the SC acts as an interface between sensory and motor processing in the human brain, thereby providing a contribution to visually guided behavior that may remain functionally and anatomically segregated from the geniculo-striate pathway and entirely outside conscious visual experience.

The role of visual experience for spatial numerical associations

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Proulx ◽  
Achille Pasqualotto ◽  
Shuichiro Taya
Keyword(s):  
Visual Experience ◽  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Random Number Generation ◽  
Number Line ◽  
Mental Number Line ◽  
Generation Task ◽  
Congenitally Blind ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Right

The topographic representation of space interacts with the mental representation of number. Evidence for such number–space relations have been reported in both synaesthetic and non-synaesthetic participants. Thus far most studies have only examined related effects in sighted participants. For example, the mental number line increases in magnitude from left to right in sighted individuals (Loetscher et al., 2008, Curr. Biol.). What is unclear is whether this association arises from innate mechanisms or requires visual experience early in life to develop in this way. Here we investigated the role of visual experience for the left to right spatial numerical association using a random number generation task in congenitally blind, late blind, and blindfolded sighted participants. Participants orally generated numbers randomly whilst turning their head to the left and right. Sighted participants generated smaller numbers when they turned their head to the left than to the right, consistent with past results. In contrast, congenitally blind participants generated smaller numbers when they turned their head to the right than to the left, exhibiting the opposite effect. The results of the late blind participants showed an intermediate profile between that of the sighted and congenitally blind participants. Visual experience early in life is therefore necessary for the development of the spatial numerical association of the mental number line.

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