Spatial updating of self-position and orientation during real, imagined, and virtual locomotion

Two studies investigated updating of self-position and heading during real, imagined, and simulated locomotion. Subjects were exposed to a two-segment path with a turn between segments; they responded by turning to face the o rigin as they would if they had walked the path and were at the end of the second segment. The conditions of pathway exposure included physical walkin g, imagined walking SI om a verbal description, watching another person wal k, and experiencing optic flow that simulated walking, with or without a ph ysical turn between the path segments. IS subjects Sailed to update an inte rnal representation of heading, bur did encode the pathway trajectory, they should have overturned hy the magnitude of the turn between the path segme nts. Such systematic overturning was Source in the description and watching conditions, but not with physical walking. Simulated optic flow was not by itself sufficient to induce spatial updating that supported correct turn r esponses.