Perspective, Instruction, and Cognitive Style in Spatial Representation of a Virtual Environment

Abstract

An environment can be experienced by moving around in it, inspecting it from above, studying a map, or listening to a verbal description. How does learning from different spatial perspectives together with instructions to focus on particular aspects of an environment, affect one's cognitive map? Fifty-four undergraduates (30 females, 24 males) learned a route through an urban virtual environment from either a map (survey perspective) or from virtual navigation (route perspective), with instructions to focus either on landmarks or on intersections. The survey group learned the environment by watching a dot moving through a map, whereas the route group learned by watching a virtual person walking through the virtual environment. While learning, participants were stopped at critical points and instructions focused their attention on either landmarks or intersections. After learning, all participants performed several spatial tasks: navigation, map drawing, and pointing. Individual differences in the cognitive style of spatial representation were assessed. Results showed that spatial perspective and individual differences in spatial representations interacted to affect performance.