Inertial cues, landmarks, and geometrical cues in spatial memory and navigation

空间记忆和导航中的惯性线索、地标和几何线索

• 批准号: RGPIN-2015-06440
• 负责人: Mou, Weimin
• 金额: $ 1.75万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=679788
• 关键词: Inertial; cues; landmarks; geometrical; spatial

The general objective of my research program has been to increase our understanding of how people represent spatial information in memory and how people use spatial memory for navigation. I propose four lines of research to investigate (1) whether a boundary (e.g. a wall) is superior to a single landmark (e.g. a tree) in encoding spatial relations between locations, (2) how people use landmarks and geometrical information to reorient in a city, (3) whether the inertial cues (body movement signals) and the visual cues during locomotion contribute to spatial representations of a route, and (4) whether and when visual information can reset the path integration system. ***It is theorized that a boundary rather than a landmark is important to encode locations forming cognitive maps. In the proposed research, I will investigate whether people represent interobject spatial relations better when they learn each object with the presence of a boundary than when they learn each object with the presence of a landmark. ***Many studies have examined how people use landmarks and geometrical information to reorient in a room. My previous work showed that reorientation relative to a room might be different from reorientation relative to a large scale environment. In the proposed research, I will investigate whether a landmark and a street configuration will compete and integrate in encoding locations of objects. ***It has been hypothesized that both inertial cues (body movement signals) and visual cues contribute to a multi-modal spatial representations. I will test an alternative hypothesis that the inertial cues might not directly contribute to spatial representations because inertial cues are calibrated by the visual cues but not vice versa. In the proposed research, I will investigate whether the recalibration between visual cues and inertial cues will affect spatial representations that are learned with the presence of visual cues or inertial cues only. ***In the literature, there is no human study systematically investigating whether and when visual information can reset the path integration system. In the proposed research, participants need to walk another leg after they see displaced landmarks. If their estimated position is determined by the displaced landmark, it would support that the visual information can reset the path integration system. ***The proposed research should significantly advance our understanding of how people use different types of available information including inertial cues due to body movement, visual landmarks, and environment geometries (boundaries) to organize their spatial memory and to navigate in spaces. Contemporary theories of human spatial memory and navigation will be tested, contrasted, and modified. The proposed research also has applications in designs of human navigation systems, educations, and urban planning.

我的研究项目的总体目标是增加我们对人们如何在记忆中表示空间信息以及人们如何使用空间记忆进行导航的理解。我提出了四条研究路线来调查：(1)边界（如墙）是否优于单个地标（如树）在编码位置之间的空间关系方面；(2)人们如何使用地标和几何信息在城市中重新定位；(3)惯性线索（身体运动信号）和运动过程中的视觉线索是否有助于路径的空间表征；(4)视觉信息是否以及何时可以重置路径整合系统。从理论上讲，边界而不是地标对形成认知地图的位置编码更重要。在拟议的研究中，我将调查人们在学习存在边界的每个物体时是否比在学习存在地标的每个物体时更好地表征物体间的空间关系。许多研究调查了人们如何利用地标和几何信息在房间里重新定位。我之前的工作表明，相对于一个房间的重新定向可能与相对于一个大尺度环境的重新定向不同。在提议的研究中，我将调查一个地标和街道配置是否会竞争和整合在编码对象的位置。***据推测，惯性线索（身体运动信号）和视觉线索都有助于多模态空间表征。我将测试另一种假设，即惯性线索可能不会直接影响空间表征，因为惯性线索是由视觉线索校准的，而不是相反。在本研究中，我将探讨视觉线索和惯性线索之间的重新校准是否会影响仅存在视觉线索或惯性线索时习得的空间表征。***在文献中，没有人类研究系统地调查视觉信息是否以及何时可以重置路径整合系统。在拟议的研究中，参与者在看到移位的地标后需要再走一条腿。如果他们的估计位置是由位移的地标确定的，则支持视觉信息可以重置路径整合系统。***提出的研究将极大地促进我们对人们如何使用不同类型的可用信息的理解，包括由于身体运动，视觉地标和环境几何（边界）引起的惯性线索，以组织他们的空间记忆和在空间中导航。人类空间记忆和导航的当代理论将被测试，对比和修改。这项研究在人类导航系统、教育和城市规划的设计中也有应用。