Mental representation and the spatial structure of virtual environments

This study aimed to investigate the influence of the spatial structure of v irtual environments on the mental representation that people form. Three gr oups of participants visited the locations of several objects in simulated environments that differed in aspects of their structure. After learning, t he objects were removed, and participants were required to estimate their f ormer positions in terms of angle of orientation and straight-line distance s. Results indicated that the structure of the environment influences perfo rmance and suggested the use of different underlying mental representations : If the spatial structure does not obscure direct perception between locat ions, a procedural type of spatial representation may be sufficient; howeve r, if the spatial structure prevents direct perception between locations, i t is likely that people need to elaborate a configurational type of spatial representation. These results stress the importance of spatial structure i n the acquisition and use of mental representations.