Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Canada.
Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Canada.
Behav Brain Res. 2019 May 17;364:281-295. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.032. Epub 2019 Feb 19.
In studies of human navigation, an underlying assumption is that, by nature, navigators are proficient with and strongly biased toward using only one strategy, either allocentric (cognitive mapping) or egocentric (stimulus-response based). Further, research often suggests that males are allocentric navigators whereas females are egocentric navigators. We tested these binary assumptions using two versions of a virtual Morris water maze (MWM). The Dual-strategy maze could be solved using either an allocentric or an egocentric strategy. Preferred strategy was tested by alternating test and probe trials. Two "Forced-strategy" probe trials tested navigators' ability to use their non-preferred strategy. Participants then completed the Place maze that was best solved using an allocentric strategy. In the Dual-strategy maze, there was no particular order of acquisition of a preferred strategy and a quarter of participants switched strategies; this switching was bilateral (from egocentric to allocentric and vice-versa). Navigators were most competent in the use of their preferred strategy. Importantly, navigators did learn (incidentally) information related to their non-preferred strategy and were capable of using that strategy. This pattern of results was shown for both males and females, although females did show a stronger preference for egocentric navigation than did males. We concluded that navigators can use all environmental information available to them and that the tendency to view people as innately allocentric or egocentric navigators does not allow for more nuanced investigations of navigational ability. Such investigations would better inform research into deficits in spatial ability in clinical populations.
在人类导航研究中,有一个基本假设是,导航者天生擅长并强烈偏向于使用一种策略,即基于认知地图的离心策略或基于刺激反应的向心策略。此外,研究通常表明男性是离心导航者,而女性是向心导航者。我们使用两种虚拟 Morris 水迷宫(MWM)版本来测试这些二元假设。双策略迷宫可以使用离心或向心策略来解决。通过交替测试和探测试验来测试首选策略。两个“强制策略”探测试验测试了导航者使用非首选策略的能力。然后,参与者完成了最适合使用离心策略解决的位置迷宫。在双策略迷宫中,没有特定的首选策略获取顺序,四分之一的参与者改变了策略;这种转变是双向的(从向心到离心,反之亦然)。导航者在使用首选策略方面最有能力。重要的是,导航者确实(偶然地)学习了与其非首选策略相关的信息,并且能够使用该策略。这一结果模式适用于男性和女性,尽管女性比男性更倾向于使用向心导航。我们得出结论,导航者可以使用他们可用的所有环境信息,并且将人们视为天生的离心或向心导航者的倾向不允许更细致地研究导航能力。这种研究将更好地为临床人群空间能力缺陷的研究提供信息。