The Role of Affect on Expanding Indoor Spatial Knowledge

2015 ◽  
pp. 28-49
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Knowledge

Route-Oriented Tasks Help Initial Survey-Based Learning

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (26) ◽  
pp. 2273-2276
Author(s):  
Michael J. Piller ◽  
Marc M. Sebrechts
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Spatial Knowledge ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Training Performance ◽  
Similar Performance ◽  
Initial Survey ◽  
Navigational Learning

The role of route and survey information on the gradual acquisition of spatial knowledge was examined in a virtual environment (VE). Navigational focus was induced by having participants learn the environment using either an opaque (route) or transparent (survey) VE. Goal focus was induced by requiring participants to train to a sequential listing (route) or map-based (survey) criterion. During initial training, the presence of a route focus, based on the environment or the stated goal, led to better performance on a survey task than an exclusively survey focus. With increased training, performance with a survey-based focus matched that with a route-based focus. Early stage navigational learning in a survey-based environment benefited from the presence of a route goal. Later stage learning resulted in similar performance between route and survey goals and navigational learning environments.

Is the perception of their own odour effective in orienting the exploratory activity of cave fishes?

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 871-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalisa Paglianti ◽  
Giuseppe Messana ◽  
Alessandro Cianfanelli ◽  
Roberto Berti
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Spatial Knowledge ◽  
Chemical Information ◽  
Fish Swimming ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Sensory Pathways ◽  
Water Volumes ◽  
Odour Perception

Spatial knowledge of the surrounding environment is extremely important for animals to locate and efficiently exploit available resources (e.g., food, shelters, mates). Fishes usually acquire spatial information about their home range through vision, but vision fails in the dark and other sensory pathways have to be exploited. Fishes possess a remarkable olfactory system and have evolved a refined ability of chemical detection and recognition. Nevertheless, while the role of chemical cues in spatial orientation is well known in long-distance salmonid migrations, it has never been investigated in orientation within local, familiar areas. Here we report the first evidence that fish swimming can be topographically polarized by self-odour perception. When an unfamiliar area was experimentally scented with fish self-odour, the cave cyprinid Phreatichthys andruzzii Vinciguerra, 1924 behaved as if the area was previously explored. The fish preferred an odour-free area to a self-odour-scented one, and when offered the choice between a familiar and an unfamiliar area, they preferred the unexplored environment. Avoidance of self-odour-scented areas would allow effective exploration of the subterranean environment, minimizing the risks of repeatedly exploring the same water volumes. Our results are the first clear evidence that fish can use their own odour to orient their locomotor activity when visual cues are not available. This highlights the possible role of chemical information in fish orientation.

The role of locomotion in the acquisition and transfer of spatial knowledge in children

2003 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Lehnung ◽  
Bernd Leplow ◽  
Vebjorn Ekroll ◽  
Arne Herzog ◽  
Maximilian Mehdorn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Knowledge

“What” and “where” in spatial language and spatial cognition

1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Landau ◽  
Ray Jackendoff
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Knowledge ◽  
Reference Object ◽  
Spatial Representations ◽  
Geometric Properties ◽  
Spatial Prepositions ◽  
Count Nouns ◽  
Object Properties ◽  
Target Article ◽  
Object Search

AbstractFundamental to spatial knowledge in all species are the representations underlying object recognition, object search, and navigation through space. But what sets humans apart from other species is our ability to express spatial experience through language. This target article explores the language ofobjectsandplaces, asking what geometric properties are preserved in the representations underlying object nouns and spatial prepositions in English. Evidence from these two aspects of language suggests there are significant differences in the geometric richness with which objects and places are encoded. When an object is named (i.e., with count nouns), detailed geometric properties – principally the object's shape (axes, solid and hollow volumes, surfaces, and parts) – are represented. In contrast, when an object plays the role of either “figure” (located object) or “ground” (reference object) in a locational expression, only very coarse geometric object properties are represented, primarily the main axes. In addition, the spatial functions encoded by spatial prepositions tend to be nonmetric and relatively coarse, for example, “containment,” “contact,” “relative distance,” and “relative direction.” These properties are representative of other languages as well. The striking differences in the way language encodes objects versus places lead us to suggest two explanations: First, there is a tendency for languages to level out geometric detail from both object and place representations. Second, a nonlinguistic disparity between the representations of “what” and “where” underlies how language represents objects and places. The language of objects and places converges with and enriches our understanding of corresponding spatial representations.

scholarly journals Use and Perceptions of Pedestrian Navigation Apps: Findings from Bologna and Porto

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 446
Author(s):  
Fernando Fonseca ◽  
Elisa Conticelli ◽  
George Papageorgiou ◽  
Paulo Ribeiro ◽  
Mona Jabbari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Spatial Knowledge ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Google Maps ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Pedestrian Navigation ◽  
Sustainable Lifestyles ◽  
Navigation Service ◽  
Space Recognition

Pedestrian Navigation Applications (PNAs) provide assistance in terms of self-localization, space recognition, and turn-by-turn navigation. The use, motivations and perceptions associated with these applications have been under investigated due to users being insufficiently involved in their design and development. This paper analyses the extent to which PNAs are used for assisting people to walk, the frequencies and reasons of using these applications, the perceptions about them, and the barriers preventing them from being used. The study is supported by a questionnaire (N = 1438) that was administered in Bologna (Italy) and Porto (Portugal). Results indicated that 42% of the respondents use PNAs mainly on an occasional basis to find locations and the shortest routes. Google Maps was the preferred navigation service. Statistical tests showed that PNAs were more likely to be used by younger adults and students. The lack of need was the main reason for not using these apps, due to the good spatial knowledge of the cities or the non-use of the pedestrian mode for regular trips. Respondents would like to have apps that are more accurate, usable, and adjusted to pedestrian navigation. The findings described in this paper could be helpful for future designs of PNAs, especially to match pedestrian needs more effectively and to enhance the role of these apps in promoting healthier and sustainable lifestyles.

Wayfinding Behavior and Spatial Knowledge of Adults and Children in a Virtual Environment: The Role of the Environmental Structure

2007 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Jansen-Osmann ◽  
Juliane Schmid ◽  
Martin Heil
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Cognition ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Spatial Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Structure ◽  
Developmental Progress ◽  
Exploration Behavior ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Desktop Virtual Environment

This study investigated the effect of regularity in environmental structure on wayfinding behavior and spatial knowledge. A total of 60 participants (7- to 8-year-olds, 11- to12-year-olds, and adults) performed self-determined movements in a desktop virtual environment. In almost all measurements of wayfinding performance and spatial knowledge an overall developmental progress from younger children to adults was found. In contrast, exploration behavior did not differ between adults and children Furthermore, the environmental structure tended to influence only the wayfinding performance of younger children, but did not have any effect on the exploration behavior and the spatial knowledge of children or adults. This outcome supports the idea of a dissociation between exploration behavior, wayfinding performance and spatial knowledge as distinct aspects of spatial cognition.

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