The process of spatial knowledge acquisition in a square and a circular virtual environment

This study investigated the effect of the environmental structure (circular vs. square environment) on spatial knowledge acquisition in a desktop virtual situation in which self-determined movement was allowed with a total of 120 participants: 7-, 8-year-old children; 11, 12-year-old children, and adults. In all measurements of spatial knowledge acquisition an overall developmental performance increase from younger children to adults was found. In contrast to that, the exploration and learning behavior did not differ between adults and children. Furthermore, the environmental structure influencedthenumber of trials needed to learn the two routes used and the distance walked to the determined landmarks. All these tasks were easier in a circular than in a square environment. This influenceofthe environmental structure was absent in the direction estimations task. The advantage of spatial knowledge acquisition in a circular environment in three of four tasks is discussed

Mental Rotation Performance in Male Soccer Players

It is the main goal of this study to investigate the visual-spatial cognition in male soccer players. Forty males (20 soccer players and 20 non-athletes) solved a chronometric mental rotation task with both cubed and embodied figures (human figures, body postures). The results confirm previous results that all participants had a lower mental rotation speed for cube figures compared to embodied figures and a higher error rate for cube figures, but only at angular disparities greater than 90°. It is a new finding that soccer–players showed a faster reaction time for embodied stimuli. Because rotation speed did not differ between soccer-players and non-athletes this finding cannot be attributed to the mental rotation process itself but instead to differences in one of the following processes which are involved in a mental rotation task: the encoding process, the maintanence of readiness, or the motor process. The results are discussed against the background of the influence on longterm physical activity on mental rotation and the context of embodied cognition

Motion features of digital path tracing in urban map navigation

This study examines the physical features involved in navigating maps representing urban areas and more specifically when making decision to reach a defined location. A subject is presented a series of maps and is asked to draw the shortest path between selected locations and the centre of the map in order to assess the level of accessibility and intelligibility of urban environments. It is designed to better understand how people select routes and how decision-making may be understood through analysing the drawing process. The process is quantifying through digitally recorded fine motor skill measurements while drawing a path between two points following the street network. Recorded velocity, completion time and measures of drawing accuracy are used to assess the complexity of navigation. This pilot-study confirms that the presence of intersections along the path impacts the speed of tracing. It also establishes that the mode of representation of urban environments has also an impact on the speed of tracing as well