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.     

The effects of maps and textual information on navigation in a desktop virtual environment

This study presents an experimentthat investigates how individuals perform anavigation test in a desktop virtualenvironment. The participants were randomlyassigned to one of the five test conditions:(C1) a map as information material during theentire test, (C2) the map only visible beforethe test, (C3) textual information during theentire test, (C4) textual information onlybefore the test and (C5) no additionalnavigational cues. The results were thatadditional information during the entire testwas more effective than short periods ofstudying the map or textual information onlybefore the test. However, participants weremore accurate in finding their route when anykind of navigational cues were used than whenno navigational cues were used. The results ofan additional questionnaire indicate thatbetween the test groups there were nodifferences in estimating the travelleddistances. The performance to draw the coveredpath into a sketch map of the landscape did notdiffer significantly between the test groupswith additional navigational cues. Theseresults indicate that in certain environmentstextual information may provide an effectivealternative to navigation training with a map.