Zhao Jiayan, Simpson Mark, Wallgrün Jan Oliver, Sajjadi Pejman, Klippel Alexander
Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, Walker Building, 302 N Burrowes Street, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
Cogn Res Princ Implic. 2020 Apr 5;5(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s41235-020-00214-9.
Investigating the relationship between the human body and its spatial environment is a critical component in understanding the process of acquiring spatial knowledge. However, few empirical evaluations have looked at how the visual accessibility of an environment affects spatial learning. To address this gap, this paper focuses on geographic scale, defined as the spatial extent visually accessible from a single viewpoint. We present two experiments in which we manipulated geographic scale using two perspectives, a ground level and an elevated view, in order to better understand the scale effect on spatial learning. Learning outcomes were measured using estimates of direction and self-reports of mental workload.
In contrast to our hypothesis, we found few differences in spatial learning when comparing different perspectives. However, our analysis of pointing errors shows a significant interaction effect between the scale and spatial ability: The elevated perspective reduced the differences in pointing errors between low and high spatial ability participants in contrast to when participants learned the environment at ground level alone. Bimodal pointing distributions indicate that participants made systematic errors, for example, forgetting turns or segments. Modeling these errors revealed a unified alternative representation of the environment and further suggests that low spatial ability participants benefited more from the elevated perspective in terms of spatial learning compared to high spatial ability participants.
We conclude that an increased geographic scale, which was accessible through an elevated perspective in this study, can help bridge the performance gap in spatial learning between low and high spatial ability participants.
研究人体与其空间环境之间的关系是理解获取空间知识过程的关键组成部分。然而，很少有实证评估关注环境的视觉可达性如何影响空间学习。为了填补这一空白，本文聚焦于地理尺度，其定义为从单一视点视觉可达的空间范围。我们呈现了两个实验，其中我们使用地面视角和高架视角这两种视角来操纵地理尺度，以便更好地理解尺度对空间学习的影响。学习成果通过方向估计和心理负荷的自我报告来衡量。
与我们的假设相反，我们发现比较不同视角时，空间学习方面几乎没有差异。然而，我们对指向误差的分析显示，尺度与空间能力之间存在显著的交互作用：与仅在地面学习环境时相比，高架视角减少了低空间能力参与者和高空间能力参与者之间指向误差的差异。双峰指向分布表明参与者会犯系统性错误，例如忘记转弯或路段。对这些误差进行建模揭示了环境的一种统一的替代表征，并且进一步表明，在空间学习方面，低空间能力参与者比高空间能力参与者从高架视角中获益更多。
我们得出结论，在本研究中通过高架视角可获得的更大地理尺度，有助于弥合低空间能力参与者和高空间能力参与者在空间学习方面的表现差距。
