Spatial knowledge acquisition from maps and from navigation in real and virtual environments

In this study, the nature of the spatial representations of an environment acquired from maps, navigation, and virtual environments (VEs) was assessed . Participants first learned the layout of a simple desktop VE and then wer e tested in that environment. Then, participants learned two floors of a co mplex building in one of three learning conditions: from a map, from direct experience, or by traversing through a virtual rendition of the building. VE learners showed the poorest learning of the complex environment overall, and the results suggest that VE learners are particularly susceptible to d isorientation after rotation. However, all the conditions showed similar le vels of performance in learning the layout of landmarks on a single floor. Consistent with previous research, an alignment effect was present for map learners, suggesting that they had formed an orientation-specific represent ation of the environment. VE learners also showed a preferred orientation, as defined by their initial orientation when learning the environment. Lear ning the initial simple VE was highly predictive of learning a real environ ment, suggesting that similar cognitive mechanisms are involved in the two learning situations.