Strategies of processing spatial information in survey and landmark-centred individuals

This study investigated differences between individuals with survey and lan dmark-centred spatial representations in different visuo-spatial tasks and in two way-finding tasks. The Mental Rotation Test (MRT; Vanderberg & Kuse, 1978), and the Minnesota Paper Form Board Test (MPFB; Likert & Quasha, 194 1) were administered to two groups of high-survey and landmark-centred unde rgraduate students. The groups also performed two way-finding tasks where t hey were required to study the route they were going to take, in one case w ith a map and in the other with a verbal description. Differences between t he two groups emerged; high-survey individuals performed the MRT better tha n the landmark-centred ones. In the way-finding task an interaction, instru ction by group, was found, supporting the idea that the two groups are infl uenced differently by the format (map or verbal description) of instruction s. The landmark-centred group made fewer errors than the high-survey group with the verbal descriptions.