AbstractInvestigating spatial learning in virtual environments allows studying different sources of information under controlled conditions. We built a virtual environment in the style of a European village and investigated spatial knowledge acquisition by experience in the virtual environment and by the use of an interactive map. We tested knowledge of cardinal directions, building-to-building orientation, and judgment of direction between buildings. We find that judgment of directions was more accurate after virtual reality exploration than after map exploration, and the opposite results were observed for knowledge of cardinal directions and relative orientation between buildings. Further, the alignment effect was confined to the map exploration condition. Taken together, our results suggest that the source of spatial exploration differentially influenced spatial knowledge acquisition.
The role of top-down processing on the horizontal-vertical line length illusion was examined by means of an ambiguous room with dual visual verticals. In one of the test conditions, the subjects were cued to one of the two verticals and were instructed to cognitively reassign the apparent vertical to the cued orientation. When they have mentally adjusted their perception, two lines in a plus sign configuration appeared and the subjects had to evaluate which line was longer. The results showed that the line length appeared longer when it was aligned with the direction of the vertical currently perceived by the subject. This study provides a demonstration that top-down processing influences lower level visual processing mechanisms. In another test condition, the subjects had all perceptual cues available and the influence was even stronger.
Effects of an engaging maintenance task on fire evacuation delays and presence in virtual reality