Immediate and delayed recall of a small-scale spatial array.

The study examined people's spatial memory of a small-scale array of objects. Earlier work has primarily relied on short-retention intervals, and to date it is not known whether performance is affected by longer intervals between learning and recall. In the present investigation, university students studied seven target objects. Recall was tested immediately after learning and after an interval of seven days. Performance was found to be similar in the immediate and delayed conditions, and the results suggested that recall was facilitated by egocentric and intrinsic cues. The findings are discussed with reference to recent investigations that have shown task parameters can influence spatial recall.

Vertical representational biases in healthy university students.

In line bisection tasks neurologically intact individuals tend to bisect lines slightly left of their midpoint for horizontal lines, and above centre for vertical lines, a phenomenon known as perceptual pseudoneglect (Bowers & Heilman, 1980; Van Vugt, Fransen, Creten, & Paquiner, 2000). Recent investigations have demonstrated the leftward bias to extend to mental imagery, a finding known as representational pseudoneglect (McGeorge, Beschin, Colnaghi, Rusconi, & Della Sala, 2007). This paper examined whether the upward bias found in perceptual tasks extended to mental imagery in healthy individuals. University students studied a diagram depicting a central character and target objects that were located in six positions relative to the person in the diagram (left/right, up/down, and front/back). Following learning, participants recalled the locations of the objects from several imagined orientations. Performance on the recall task revealed faster response latencies for upward targets, providing evidence for vertical representational biases in healthy individuals.

Encoding modality and spatial memory retrieval.

This study examined the temporal characteristics of event-related brain electrical activity associated with the processing of spatial memories derived from linguistic and tactile information. Participants learned a map by (1) reading a text description of the map, (2) touching a wooden topological representation of the map (hidden from view), or (3) both. Subsequently, the participants' ability to use their spatial knowledge was tested in a spatial orientation task. Differential patterns of brain activity as a function of encoding modality were found at the very early (preconscious) stages of processing. In contrast, an analysis of behavioral performance revealed no differences between the encoding groups. A model of spatial memory retrieval is presented to account for the findings.

Spatial ability in secondary school students: intra-sex differences based on self-selection for physical education.

Past research has demonstrated consistent sex differences with men typically outperforming women on tests of spatial ability. However, less is known about intra-sex effects. In the present study, two groups of female students (physical education and non-physical education secondary students) and two corresponding groups of male students explored a large-scale virtual shopping centre. In a battery of tasks, spatial knowledge of the shopping centre as well as mental rotation ability were tested. Additional variables considered were circulating testosterone levels, the ratio of 2D:4D digit length, and computer experience. The results revealed both sex and intra-sex differences in spatial ability. Variables related to virtual navigation and computer ability and experience were found to be the most powerful predictors of group membership. Our results suggest that in female and male secondary students, participation in physical education and spatial skill are related.

Spatial knowledge of geographical globes: evidence of vertical alignment effects.

This study investigated human spatial memory of geographical globes. In two experiments, participants studied locations presented on a three-dimensional globe. Subsequently, participants' knowledge of the locations was tested employing two types of pointing task. Directional judgments from imagined locations on the globe were performed either vertically through the ground (as if digging a straight tunnel between the locations) or horizontally along the surface of the globe (the shortest distance for an aircraft to fly to a given destination). In the vertical pointing task, judgments originating from imagined locations in the upper hemisphere were superior by comparison with those originating from imagined locations in the lower hemisphere. Performance in the horizontal pointing task was more variable, with a tendency for superior judgments originating from imagined locations in the lower hemisphere. The results provide evidence of a novel alignment effect involving vertical judgments.

Map learning and working memory: Multimodal learning strategies.

The current research investigated whether learning spatial information from a map involves different modalities, which are managed by discrete components in working memory. In four experiments, participants studied a map either while performing a simultaneous interference task (high cognitive load) or without interference (low cognitive load). The modality of interference varied between experiments. Experiment 1 used a tapping task (visuospatial), Experiment 2 a backward counting task (verbal), Experiment 3 an articulatory suppression task (verbal) and Experiment 4 an n-back task (central executive). Spatial recall was assessed in two tests: directional judgements and map drawing. Cognitive load was found to affect spatial recall detrimentally regardless of interference modality. The findings suggest that when learning maps, people use a multimodal learning strategy, utilising resources from all components of working memory.

Viewing a map versus reading a description of a map: modality-specific encoding of spatial information.

This study investigated whether brain neural activity that accompanied the processing of previously learned map information was influenced by the modality in which the spatial parameters of the maps were originally learned. Participants learned a map by either viewing it directly or by reading an equivalent verbal description. Following learning, the participants' ability to use their spatial knowledge was tested in a spatial orientation task. Electrophysiological recordings identified significant effects of prior learning modality on event-related brain activity within 300 ms following the presentation of map orientation instructions. The results indicate that modality-specificity in spatial memory is present at a very early stage of processing.

The processing of object identity information by women and men.

The study examined whether women excel at tasks which require processing the identity of objects information as has been suggested in the context of the well-known object location memory task. In a computer-simulated task, university students were shown simulated indoor and outdoor house scenes. After studying a scene the students were presented with two images. One was the original image and the other a modified version in which one object was either rotated by ninety degrees or substituted with a similar looking object. The participants were asked to indicate the original image. The main finding was that no sex effect was obtained in this task. The female and male students did not differ on a verbal ability test, and their 2D:4D ratios were found to be comparable.

Switching imagined viewpoints: the effects of viewing angle and layout size.

The study examined the cognitive processes involved in switching from familiar to novel points of observation. Participants studied a single view of a small (table-top model) or large (laboratory) spatial display that was presented from a horizontal or vertical viewing angle. In a reaction-time task, spatial judgments were then made from imagined perspectives that were either the original perspective or a parallel, novel perspective. Familiar views resulted in decreased response latencies relative to novel views only for those participants who had been presented with a horizontal viewing angle, an effect that was independent of display size. The results indicate that viewing angle is a variable influencing people's ability to switch imagined perspectives.

Judgements of relative direction: the effect of task instructions on spatial recall.

One of the most widely used tasks in the spatial memory literature is the judgement of relative direction (JRD) test. The present investigation examined the hypothesis that standard JRD task demands bias spatial recall. In two experiments, participants' recall of small-scale layouts as measured by standard JRD tests (in which the relationship between objects was employed to establish imagined orientations within the learned scene) was compared with recall as measured by novel JRD tasks. The novel tasks emphasized either the internal front/back and left/right axes of individual objects (Experiment 1) or extrinsic spatial cues (Experiment 2). Spatial recall was found to reflect the reference cues emphasized by the JRD task in Experiment 1 and by the novel task in Experiment 2. The finding that directional judgements tended to reflect a frame of reference aligned with the set of cues emphasized by task demands suggests that the nature of the task employed to test knowledge can have an effect on spatial recall.

The first-perspective alignment effect: the role of environmental complexity and familiarity with surroundings.

People often remember relatively novel environments from the first perspective encountered or the first direction of travel. This initial perspective can determine a preferred orientation that facilitates the efficiency of spatial judgements at multiple recalled locations. The present study examined this "first-perspective alignment effect" (FPA effect). In three experiments, university students explored three-path routes through computer-simulated spaces presented on a desktop computer screen. Spatial memory was then tested employing a "judgement of relative direction" task. Contrary to the predictions of a previous account, Experiment 1 found a reliable FPA effect in barren and complex environments. Experiment 2 strongly implicated the importance of complete novelty of the space surrounding the route in producing the effect. Experiment 3 found that, while familiarity with the surrounding space greatly attenuated the FPA effect with immediate testing, the effect reemerged following a 7-day delay to testing. The implications for the encoding and retrieval of spatial reference frames are discussed.

Adoption of an internal viewpoint following presentations of plan-view diagrams and maps.

This study investigated people's ability to adopt novel imagined viewpoints after studying plan-view diagrams and maps. In two experiments, university students were presented with a plan-view diagram of a character surrounded by nearby objects (Expt 1) or a character within a map of a multi-level shopping centre (Expt 2). Subsequently, participants' spatial knowledge of the diagrams/maps was tested by asking them about the location of six salient objects/places. In both experiments, the analyses of participants' spatial judgments suggested that they had adopted an imagined viewpoint internal to the character. The findings add to our understanding of imagined viewpoint switches along the vertical axis of space.

Updating imagined translational movements.

The aim of this study was to examine the mental processes involved in changes that are the result of imagined translational movements. Participants were presented with a single view of a small spatial display. In a computer-based reaction-time task, spatial judgments were then made relative to four imagined headings that were either the study view or novel views that differed from the study view in terms of imagined rotational and/or translational movements. The main finding was that translational shifts detrimentally affected performance in the absence of concurrent rotations suggesting that imagined translations require additional processing time.

Orientation dependent mental representations following real-world navigation.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the mental representations acquired from real-world navigation are encoded in a single, specific orientation. Previous research has revealed an inconsistent pattern of results. In the present study, participants explored a university campus. In two reaction-time tasks, spatial judgments were then made relative to four imagined headings within the explored environment. The main result was that one of the headings was encoded in a distinct manner: When making left-right judgments performance on this heading was generally superior by comparison with the other orientations, and when making front-back judgments the same heading was the only one in which an advantage of front over back responses was observed. The finding that the headings were not encoded equally indicates that real-world navigation can lead to orientation specific representations.

Display-control compatibility: the relationship between performance and judgments of performance.

This study examined whether people can judge the usability of display-control mappings. Participants identified one of two alternatives which were presented in a questionnaire. Several types of stimuli were tested, ranging from simple shapes to semantic stimuli. Choices were found to be predominately correct when usability was defined by an unambiguous spatial relationship between displays and controls. In contrast, estimates were less accurate for items which did not solely rely on spatial congruence. The findings were interpreted in terms of the factors that need to be considered for judgments to be free of error.