Spontaneous Reorientation Is Guided by Perceived Surface Distance, Not by Image Matching Or Comparison

Humans and animals recover their sense of position and orientation using properties of the surface layout, but the processes underlying this ability are disputed. Although behavioral and neurophysiological experiments on animals long have suggested that reorientation depends on representations of surface distance, recent experiments on young children join experimental studies and computational models of animal navigation to suggest that reorientation depends either on processing of any continuous perceptual variables or on matching of 2D, depthless images of the landscape. We tested the surface distance hypothesis against these alternatives through studies of children, using environments whose 3D shape and 2D image properties were arranged to enhance or cancel impressions of depth. In the absence of training, children reoriented by subtle differences in perceived surface distance under conditions that challenge current models of 2D-image matching or comparison processes. We provide evidence that children’s spontaneous navigation depends on representations of 3D layout geometry.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant HD 23103

Sample testing spaces and results from [<b>32</b>] and [<b>39</b>].

<p>A: Depiction of corner views of two of the square arenas tested with human toddlers <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0051373#pone.0051373-Lourenco1" target="_blank">[32]</a> and mice <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0051373#pone.0051373-Twyman2" target="_blank">[39]</a>; B: Percentages of searches at the correct and rotational (the diagonal corner that is featurally/geometrically identical to the correct one) corners for Experiments 1 and 3 in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0051373#pone.0051373-Lourenco1" target="_blank">[32]</a> (asterisk indicates above-chance (50%) search); C: Number of trials required to meet a criterion of 75% searches at the correct and rotational corners for mice trained in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0051373#pone.0051373-Twyman2" target="_blank">[39]</a> (asterisk indicates a significant difference between conditions). Data are replotted with permission from Stella Lourenco and Alexandra Twyman.</p

Search results for each experiment.

<p>Arenas tested in Experiments 1 (left), 2 (center), and 3 (right) and the percentages of searches in the correct and rotational corners in each arena (bottom). Asterisks indicate above-chance (50%) search.</p

Displays for Experiment 2.

<p>Perspective and overhead views of the black/white, dark/light gray, and patterned arenas tested in Experiment 2.</p