Spatial Learning with Multiple Sensory Modalities

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究的目的是调查有视力、低视力和盲人参与者群体之间的空间学习和导航。一般的假设假定，从个人的感觉方式学习的空间信息导致形成一个共同的空间表征跨模态。实验一和二建立，如果一些已知的视觉知觉偏见也表现在触觉学习。这项工作代表了第一次努力，直接比较视觉和触觉地图学习，并调查性能作为视觉状态的函数。实验三采用跨模态学习范式，以评估功能等效的空间表征之间的视觉，触觉和空间语言的学习形成。这是第一个直接比较环境学习与三种感觉方式的信息匹配环境的研究。这项研究的最终结果将大大增加我们对感官之间的空间学习的理解，并在空间表征中存在功能对等。这些实验结果也将有助于盲人导航系统的开发。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this research is to investigate spatial learning and navigation within and across sensory modalities, between sighted, low vision and blind participant groups. The general hypothesis posits that spatial information learned from individual sensory modalities leads to the formation of a common spatial representation across modalities. Experiment I and II establish if some of the perceptual biases known for vision also manifest in tactile learning. This work represents the first effort to directly compare visual and tactile map learning and to investigate performance as a function of visual status. Experiment III uses a cross-modal learning paradigm to assess if functionally equivalent spatial representations are formed between learning with vision, touch, and spatial language. This is the first study of its kind to directly compare environmental learning with information matched environments across three sensory modalities. The final outcome of this research will significantly add to our understanding of spatial learning between the senses and speak to the extent of functional equivalence that exists across spatial representations. The results of these experiments will also benefit the development of navigation systems for the blind.