2 research outputs found
RETRIEVAL, ACTION AND THE REPRESENTATION OF DISTANCE IN COGNITIVE MAPS
This thesis examines the context effects on retrieval, and the influence of action on the
representation of distance in cognitive maps. It is proposed that bias in distance estimation is a
function of the contexts of retrieval that trigger the representation of action in memory during
evaluation tasks. The proposal is consistent with embodied cognition evidence that suggests that
actions are implicitly a part of the representation, and will be naturally extracted as part of the
retrieval process. The experimental work presented examines two different contextual cues; the
frequency of visitation to landmarks, and the importance of activity performed at landmarks. Each
cue primes differently the conceptualisation of landmarks prior to making distance estimation.
This priming facilitates memory access, which fleshes out relevant spatial information from
cognitive maps that are used in distance estimation and route description. This proposal was
examined in a series of four experiments that employed structured interviews. Participants had to
rate landmarks based on frequency of visitation criteria or importance of activity criteria, or both.
They then made verbal distance estimations and route descriptions. The results found implicate
the involvement of action representation.
The involvement of action in cognitive process was empirically investigated in three
further experiments. A new methodology was developed featuring the use of a blindfold,
linguistic descriptions, and control of actual movements. Blindfolded participants learned new
environments through verbal descriptions by imagining themselves walking in time with the
metronome beats. During turns, they were carefully moved. Following instructions, they
performed an action at mid-route. Their memories for the newly learned environments were tested
through recalls and measured again with the metronome beats. The results found were consistent
with explanations based on network-map theory. They implicate attentional processes as an
intrinsic part of the cognitive mechanism, and the strings of the network-map as the actual motor
program that executes the movement. These results are discussed in relation to the nature of
cognitive maps
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A method for studying representation of action and cognitive distance
Past studies examining the effects of action on memory for route distance have overlooked the problem of the control of visual information. A new methodology was developed to investigate the involvement of action on the representation of route distance information in two experiments which eliminated the possible confounding effects of visual cues. In both experiments the number of turns was manipulated. Blindfolded participants learned new environments through verbal descriptions by imagining themselves walking in synchronization with metronome beats preset to match their natural walking speed. During turns, they were carefully moved. Following instructions, they performed an action at mid-route. Upon reaching the destination, their memories for the newly learned environments were tested through recall and measured again (with metronome beats representing footsteps). In Experiment 1 participants were exposed to the environment only once, and in Experiment 2 they were exposed to the environment twice. The results were consistent across the experiments and showed the influence of number of turns on remembered distances. Our data support the segmentation hypothesis with regard to the perception of the segment length and the influence of the number of turns on path distance estimates. However, our data point to a more parsimonious explanation in terms of body movement that triggers attentional processes which signal memory for events