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Walking improves your cognitive map in environments that are large-scale and large in extent

Authors:

Ekaterina Volkova,

Heinrich H. BülthoffAuthors Info & Claims

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), Volume 18, Issue 2

Article No.: 10, Pages 1 - 20

https://doi.org/10.1145/1970378.1970384

Published: 01 July 2011 Publication History

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of body-based information (proprioception, etc.) when participants navigated large-scale virtual marketplaces that were either small (Experiment 1) or large in extent (Experiment 2). Extent refers to the size of an environment, whereas scale refers to whether people have to travel through an environment to see the detail necessary for navigation. Each participant was provided with full body-based information (walking through the virtual marketplaces in a large tracking hall or on an omnidirectional treadmill), just the translational component of body-based information (walking on a linear treadmill, but turning with a joystick), just the rotational component (physically turning but using a joystick to translate) or no body-based information (joysticks to translate and rotate). In large and small environments translational body-based information significantly improved the accuracy of participants' cognitive maps, measured using estimates of direction and relative straight line distance but, on its own, rotational body-based information had no effect. In environments of small extent, full body-based information also improved participants' navigational performance. The experiments show that locomotion devices such as linear treadmills would bring substantial benefits to virtual environment applications where large spaces are navigated, and theories of human navigation need to reconsider the contribution made by body-based information, and distinguish between environmental scale and extent.

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Cited By

Palermo LBoccia M(2025)Perception and navigation: What is the interface?Encyclopedia of the Human Brain10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00072-3(232-245)Online publication date: 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00072-3
Du Y(2025)The non-Euclidean properties of human spatial representationEncyclopedia of the Human Brain10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00070-X(95-104)Online publication date: 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00070-X
Creem-Regehr SKelly JBodenheimer BStefanucci J(2025)Virtual reality as a tool to understand spatial navigationEncyclopedia of the Human Brain10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00011-5(105-126)Online publication date: 2025
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Index Terms

Walking improves your cognitive map in environments that are large-scale and large in extent
1. Computing methodologies
  1. Computer graphics
    1. Graphics systems and interfaces
      1. Virtual reality
2. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Interaction devices
      1. Graphics input devices
      2. Touch screens

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Published In

cover image ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction Volume 18, Issue 2

June 2011

149 pages

ISSN:1073-0516

EISSN:1557-7325

DOI:10.1145/1970378

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Copyright © 2011 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Publication History

Published: 01 July 2011

Accepted: 01 February 2011

Revised: 01 December 2010

Received: 01 June 2010

Published in TOCHI Volume 18, Issue 2

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Palermo LBoccia M(2025)Perception and navigation: What is the interface?Encyclopedia of the Human Brain10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00072-3(232-245)Online publication date: 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00072-3
Du Y(2025)The non-Euclidean properties of human spatial representationEncyclopedia of the Human Brain10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00070-X(95-104)Online publication date: 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00070-X
Creem-Regehr SKelly JBodenheimer BStefanucci J(2025)Virtual reality as a tool to understand spatial navigationEncyclopedia of the Human Brain10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00011-5(105-126)Online publication date: 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00011-5
Zhang YZhang BJang WPan Y(2024)Enhancing Spatial Cognition in Online Virtual Museum Environments: Integrating Game-Based Navigation Strategies for Improved User ExperienceApplied Sciences10.3390/app1410416314:10(4163)Online publication date: 14-May-2024
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Zhang HAndrade BWang XAburabee IYuan S(2024)A study of spatial cognition in the rural heritage based on VR 3D eye-tracking experimentsHeritage Science10.1186/s40494-024-01264-812:1Online publication date: 7-May-2024
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Chakraborty SKane AGagnon HMcNamara TBodenheimer B(2024)Comparative Effectiveness of an Omnidirectional Treadmill versus Natural Walking for Navigating in Virtual EnvironmentsACM Symposium on Applied Perception 202410.1145/3675231.3675243(1-10)Online publication date: 30-Aug-2024
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