Prioritized Spatial Updating in the Intrinsic Frame of Reference

In order to maintain valid situation awareness, people need to update the spatial representations of their surroundings as objects, including themselves, move. The present study investigates the properties of spatial updating in the intrinsic frame of reference, where spatial relations are represented with respect to an external object (other than the viewer self) with an intrinsic reference direction. Three experiments were conducted using a task of direction pointing. It was found that given a relatively stable intrinsic reference direction, responses to a small number of salient objects were faster than responses to non-salient objects (Experiment 1 and Experiment 3). The salience effect disappeared when the intrinsic reference direction was no longer stable (Experiment 2). Furthermore, all three experiments revealed a type of orientation dependence similar to that found in egocentric spatial updating. Our results indicate that spatial updating in the intrinsic reference system can be easy only if a fixed reference direction is maintained and the number of objects that need to be tracked is limited.     

Children's control of reference systems in spatial tasks: Foundations of spatial cognitive skill?

Two experiments are presented, one that focused on the abilities of 3- through 8-year-old children to use frames of reference as means for solving a search task in a small-scale perceived space and one that focused on the abilities of 8- through 11-year-old children to use different frames of reference to answer questions about the locations of objects in an environment they had read about. Experiment 1 revealed developmental improvement in the consistent application of object-, place-, and viewer-based frames of reference, with scale of space impacting the pattern of age-related improvement. Experiment 2 showed that young readers' first successes with switching from one reference system to another in representational space involved a vantage point perspective, a viewer-based ``gaze tour' of a small-scale area. Although disparate in focus and method, the studies point to the need for a new theoretical framework for examining developmental issues in the application of spatial frames of reference.     

Environmental reference systems for large-scale spaces

Human navigation in well-known environments is guided by stored memory representations of spatial information. In three experiments (N = 43) we investigated the role of different spatial reference systems when accessing information about familiar objects at different locations in the city in which the participants lived. Our results indicate that two independent reference systems underly the retrieval of spatial knowledge. Environmental characteristics, e.g., the streets at an intersection, determine which headings are easier to imagine at a given location and lead to differences in accessibility of spatial information (orientation-specific behavior). In addition, access to spatial information depends on the relative direction of a location with respect to the imagined heading, such that information about locations imagined in front of oneself is easier to access than about locations towards the back. This influence of an egocentric reference system was found for environmental knowledge as well as map-based knowledge. In light of these reference system effects, position-dependent models of spatial memory for large-scale environments are discussed. To account for the simultaneous effect of an environmental and an egocentric reference system, we present a 2-level model of spatial memory access.     

The effect of the configuration and the interior design of a virtual weightless space station on human spatial orientation

In a virtual weightless environment, subjects’ orientation skills were studied to examine what kind of cognitive errors people make when they moved through the interior space of virtual space stations and what kind of visual information effectively decreases those errors. Subjects wearing a head-mounted display moved from one end to the other end in space station-like routes constructed of rectangular and cubical modules, and did Pointing and Modeling tasks. In Experiment 1, configurations of the routes were changed with such variables as the number of bends, the number of embedding planes, and the number of planes with respect to the body posture. The results indicated that spatial orientation ability was relevant to the variables and that orientational errors were explained by two causes. One of these was that the place, the direction, and the sequence of turns were incorrect. The other was that subjects did not recognize the rotation of the frame of reference, especially when they turned in pitch direction rather than in yaw. In Experiment 2, the effect of the interior design was examined by testing three design settings. Wall colors that showed the allocentric frame of reference and the different interior design of vertical and horizontal modules were effective; however, there was a limit to the effectiveness in complicated configurations.     

Individual Differences in Representational Precision Predict Spatial Working Memory Span

Perhaps the signature feature of working memory is that it is limited. In the same subjects, we used two different retrieval tasks to independently measure two different limits of spatial memory. Precision was measured by asking participants to localize a missing target item among a field of other targets and distracters. Capacity was measured with a similar task where participants identified, rather than localized, a set of remembered targets from within a larger set of identical items. Across participants, the precision of localization was positively correlated with the number of successfully retrieved items. These data suggest that an individual's representational capacity may ultimately be constrained by their ability to form precise representations of space.     

Seeing the Forest or the Trees? Shifting Categorical Effects in Map Memory

People use spatial and nonspatial information to structure memory for an environment. Two experiments explored interactions between spatial and social categories on map memory when mediated by retrieval (Experiment 1) and encoding (Experiment 2) demands. Participants studied a map depicting business locations (including proprietors' race). In Experiment 1, participants completed two memory tasks, one globally focused and the other locally focused. The global task compressed, while the local task expanded, within-category similarity. Furthermore, processing styles carried over to the subsequent task. Experiment 2 emphasized either the spatial or social category during encoding, which increased that category's weighting in memory. These results extend the work of Maddox, Rapp, Brion, and Taylor, suggesting that retrieval and encoding demands can shift how these categories affect spatial memory.     

Selecting a reference frame

Reference frames are representations that parse space. In the case of spatial terms, reference frames mediate the mapping of linguistic expressions onto spatial configurations of objects. In the sentence ``The fly is above the cat,' ``above' is defined with respect to a reference frame that is imposed on the cat. Different types of reference frames can be used to define spatial terms, each based on a different source of information. For example, gravity, the orientation of objects in the scene or the orientation of the viewer can all be used to set the orientation of a reference frame. When these reference frames disagree (because the viewer is reclining or because the objects in the scene are overturned), there are competing definitions for the spatial term, resulting in the need for reference frame selection. The purpose of this paper is to review a line of research that examines reference frame selection in the context of spatial language. This work shows that all reference frames are initially active and assign a direction to a spatial term. Moreover, this activation is automatic, and is followed by the selection of a single reference frame, with selection accompanied by inhibition of the non-selected frames. Parallels between reference frame selection in language and in perception and attention are discussed.     

List of reviewers

Studies of map-learning have suggested that viewing maps from several orientations results in orientation independent encoding. The present investigation examined this claim. Three groups of participants were presented with a map from one orientation, or four orientations, or with the map constantly rotating. Participants' spatial knowledge was then assessed in a pointing task. Response latencies were fastest following presentations of the map from a single orientation. Contrary to earlier results, multiple views led to orientation dependent encoding when account was taken of participants'preferred map orientations. The findings are consistent with the notion that similar mental representations are acquired following single and multiple map views.     

Sources of Interference in Spatial Long-Term Memory Retrieval

Three experiments are reported that used an interference paradigm to test the extent to which perceptual orientation to a task environment interfered with retrieval from long-term spatial memory. Visual and spatial sources of interference were tested. The findings were consistent with a spatial locus of interference and showed that orientation to the task environment disrupted the accessibility of relative direction under two retrieval conditions: when the imagined viewpoint was 180 degrees misaligned with the actual viewpoint and when the actual body location was anterior to the imagined body location. While the former finding replicates previous reports of interference in perspective-taking tasks, the latter finding is new and difficult for current models of spatial long-term memory retrieval to explain. More research is needed to articulate further the constraints that perceptual orientation to the task environment place on spatial retrieval and their implications for models of spatial memory.     

Internal reference frames for representation and storage of visual information: the role of gravity.

Experimental studies of visual mechanisms suggests that the CNS represents image information with respect to preferred horizontal and vertical axes, as shown by a phenomenon known as the "oblique effect". In the current study we used this effect to evaluate the influence of gravity on the representation and storage of visual orientation information. Subjects performed a psychophysical task in which a visually-presented stimulus line was aligned with the remembered orientation of a reference stimulus line presented moments before. The experiments were made on 5 cosmonauts during orbital space flight and additionally on 13 subjects in conditions of normal gravity with a tilting chair. Data were analyzed with respect to response variability and timing. On earth, these measurements for this task show a distinct preference for horizontally and vertically oriented stimuli when the body and gravitational axes were aligned. This preference was markedly decreased or disappeared when the body axis was tilted with respect to gravity; this effect was not connected with ocular counter-rolling nor could we find a preference of any other intermediate axis between the gravity and body aligned axes. On the other hand, the preference for vertical and horizontal axes was maintained for tests performed in microgravity over the course of a 6 month flight, starting from flight day 6. We concluded that subjects normally process visual orientation information in a multi-modal reference frame that combines both proprioceptive and gravitational cues when both are available, but that a proprioceptive reference frame is sufficient for this task in the absence of gravity after a short period of adaptation. Some of the results from this study have been previously published in a preliminary report. Grant numbers: 99-04-48450.     

The cognitive adequacy of Allen's interval calculus for qualitative spatial representation and reasoning

Qualitative spatial reasoning (QSR) is often claimed to be cognitively more plausible than conventional numerical approaches to spatial reasoning, because it copes with the indeterminacy of spatial data and allows inferences based on incomplete spatial knowledge. The paper reports experimental results concerning the cognitive adequacy of an important approach used in QSR, namely the spatial interpretation of the interval calculus introduced by Allen (1983). Knauff, Rauh and Schlieder (1995) distinguished between the conceptual and inferential cognitive adequacy of Allen's interval calculus. The former refers to the thirteen base relations as a representational system and the latter to the compositions of these relations as a tool for reasoning. The results of two memory experiments on conceptual adequacy show that people use ordinal information similar to the interval relations when representing and remembering spatial arrangements. Furthermore, symmetry transformations on the interval relations were found to be responsible for most of the errors, whereas conceptualneighborhood theory did not appear to correspond to cognitively relevant concepts. Inferential adequacy was investigated by two reasoning experiments and the results show that in inference tasks where the number of possible interval relations for the composition is more than one, subjects ignore numerous possibilities and interindividually prefer the same relations. Reorientations and transpositions operating on the relations seem to be important for reasoning performance as well, whereas conceptual neighborhood did not appear to affect the difficulty of reasoning tasks based on the interval relations.     

Revisiting Perspective-Taking: Can People Maintain Imagined Perspectives?

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted to examine whether people can adopt and maintain imagined perspectives in the absence of target information. The task used entailed providing information about an imagined perspective in advance of target information to examine whether this would facilitate perspective-taking performance and reduce or eliminate alignment effects that are commonly reported in the literature. The three experiments employed different types of spatial environments: an environment learned from navigating a computer screen (Experiment 1), and an immersive environment that was either remote (Experiment 2) or immediate (Experiment 3) at the time of retrieval. Across the three experiments, results showed that information about an imagined perspective can be utilized ahead of target information. Furthermore, they suggested that alignment effects can be reduced as a result of processing information about perspective ahead of target information, but only when reasoning about specific nonimmediate spatial relations (Experiments 1 and 2). Results are discussed in connection with previous findings on spatial updating and the organizational structure of spatial memory.     

Verb Semantics Affects the Interpretation of Spatial Prepositions

Abstract

Spatial prepositions, more specifically projective prepositions, such as in front of or behind can be interpreted in different ways. Their interpretation depends on the spatial perspective taken as the basis for determining the reference frame's orientation. In 3 series of placement experiments with German speakers, we examined whether the interpretation of projective prepositions in a motion context is affected by the verb used in a spatial instruction. Results suggest that verb semantics is a factor accounting for previously observed seemingly social-situational differences in the interpretation of projective prepositions. Specifically, the findings indicate that, relative to a car as reference object, the semantic aspect of motion interruption associated with some verbs leads to a higher proportion of deictic interpretations determined by the direction from which one is approaching the car. This verb effect on the interpretation of spatial prepositions can be explained by an activation of the temporal dimension through stop-implying verbs, which is integrated into the spatial situation model of the perceived dynamic scene making the deictic frame of reference more compatible. The experimental evidence also shows that verb semantics can account for previously unexplained cross-linguistic differences, and is related to patterns concerning the prepositional inventory of languages.     

Contributing Factors to Temporal and Spatial Associations in Mental Representations of Maps

Abstract

The present work explores an interactive model of spatial and temporal information in map memory. In four experiments, participants learned a map with temporal and spatial information confounded or unconfounded. Attentional and representational levels of information were made apparent through tasks that tap spatial, temporal, or other information. Learning criteria emphasizing sequential order or location imposed differential weighting of the information types in memory. Results indicate that map memory is spatial, but also interacts with the order in which map locations are encountered. Findings show flexibility in allocating attention and information indexing of location and sequential order information in map learning.     

抗光轴扰动的双目视觉测量方法

针对交会对接过程中双目测量相机受空间环境影响其光轴指向发生扰动的问题,提出一种抗光轴扰动的双目视觉测量方法。通过辅助光路将固定于卫星本体的参考标志分别成像于两侧像面的边缘,根据其图像变化估计光轴扰动变换矩阵,补偿因光轴扰动而产生的像面变化,从而实现抗扰动测量。理论推导表明：只要参考标志位于两侧相机视场内,便能够校正相机光轴扰动。利用地面试验平台进行了光轴扰动校正的仿真试验,试验结果表明：当两侧相机光轴存在扰动时,该方法能够有效校正光轴扰动,极大地提高了三维位置的测量精度。     

利用低轨道卫星间微波信号探测反演温湿廓线

通过同时测量微波信号的折射和吸收信息，低地球轨道卫星间（LEO-LEO）微波掩星探测技术能够独立反演温度和水汽廓线。通过仿真手段，首先，正演模拟了微波信号穿过大气层后由折射和吸收效应分别导致的相位延迟和振幅衰减，在此基础上，对温度、水汽和云中液态水反演廓线进行了个例分析，然后，统计分析了温度和水汽在不同纬度带的反演性能，以及云对反演精度的影响。结果表明：温度在约35 km以上存在明显正偏差，高纬度的最大，中纬度次之，低纬度最小。水汽反演误差在约4 km以下明显增大，低纬度的最大，中纬度次之，高纬度最小。有云存在时，需要去除云的吸收作用，否则温度和水汽会出现明显的正偏差。上述研究为进一步发展LEO-LEO掩星探测计划提供了理论参考依据。     

The Influence of Landmarks and Pre-exposure to a Structural Map During the Process of Spatial Knowledge Acquisition: A Study with Children and Adults in a Virtual Environment

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effects of featural information (landmarks) and geometric information (pre-exposure to a structural map) and their possible interaction during the process of spatial knowledge acquisition of 8- and 11-year-old children and adults in a virtual environment. The study confirmed the well-known result of a developmental achievement in spatial cognition from childhood to adulthood. Although landmarks and the pre-exposure to a structural map did not affect the time to learn a specific route, they influenced the use of behavior in spatial learning and eased the acquisition of spatial knowledge measured by a route reversal and map-drawing tasks. Children and adults are able to integrate featural and geometric information in the spatial knowledge acquisition process in an environmental space, but their integration depends on the spatial processing stages that are investigated. Moreover, it was successfully demonstrated that the use of desktop virtual environments seems to be appropriate to investigate the development of spatial cognition.     

The Influence of Movement,Alignment and Orientation on the Comprehension of Spatial Adpositions in English and Finnish

In contrast to English, Finnish has several postpositions which indicate in front of locations (edella, edessa) and behind locations (takana, jaljessa and perassa). Based on predictions generated from findings from other prepositions in English, and following the prediction by Nikanne (2003) that some postpositions mark motion while others do not, an experiment was designed to examine the influence of movement, alignment, and orientation of located and reference objects on the comprehension of in front of and behind in English and the corresponding Finnish postpositions. Native speakers of English and Finnish had to rate the appropriateness of sentences containing these terms to describe pictures of cars at various positions on a roundabout. The results show similarity between "in front of" and 7quot;behind" terms across languages. While movement does distinguish between "behind" terms in Finnish, in both Finnish and English movement only affected the acceptability of "in front of" and "behind" when reference frame conflicts were present.     

Approximate qualitative spatial reasoning

Qualitative relations between spatial regions play an importantrole in the representation and manipulation of spatial knowledge.The RCC5 and RCC8 systems of relations,used in the Region-Connection Calculus, are of fundamentalimportance. These two systems deal with ideal regions havingprecisely determined location. However,in many practical examples of spatial reasoning,regions are represented by finite approximations rather than known precisely.Approximations may be given by describing how a regionrelates to cells forming a partition of the space underconsideration. Although the RCC5 and RCC8 systems have beengeneralized to ``egg-yolk' regions, in order to modelcertain types of vagueness, their extension to regionsapproximated in this way has not been discussed before.This paper presents two methods, the syntactic and the semantic, by which the RCC5 and RCC8 systemsmay be defined for approximate regions. The syntactic uses algebraicoperations on approximate regions which generalize operations on preciseregions. The semantic method makes use of the set of preciseregions which could be the intended interpretation of anapproximate region. Relationships between these two methods arediscussed in detail.alternative to navigation training with a map.     

Interactivity in map learning: The effect of cognitive load

The hypothesis that active learning is beneficial relative to passive observation was assessed in the context of spatial knowledge derived from maps. Active and passive participants studied a map either while performing a simultaneous spatial tapping task (high cognitive load) or in the absence of this task (low cognitive load). Active participants controlled how the map was learned, with passive participants observing map learning without exercising control. Spatial recall was assessed in two tests, directional judgements and map drawing. Map drawing and directional judgments showed a similar pattern of results, with performance detrimentally affected by a high load for active participants, but not for passive participants. The results indicate that activity and cognitive load interact, suggesting that active learning can be detrimental to spatial learning in cognitively demanding tasks.