Spatial Cognition and Navigation

Navigation task and action space drive the emergence of egocentric and allocentric spatial representations

This study shows that navigation tasks influence the type of spatial representations (egocentric or allocentric) that emerge in a deep reinforcement learning model.

Identifying Uncertainty States during Wayfinding in Indoor Environments: An EEG Classification Study

The paper uses EEG and machine learning to classify navigational uncertainty during wayfinding tasks in a virtual environment, achieving 0.70 ROC-AUC.

Evidence for a travel direction signal in humans that is independent of head direction

The paper demonstrates a travel direction signal in humans independent of head direction through a motion adaptation paradigm, showing aftereffects that scale with adaptation duration.

Selective neural coding of object, feature, and geometry spatial cues in humans

The paper investigates neural coding of object, feature, and geometry spatial cues in humans using fMRI, finding synergistic hippocampal-striatal interactions and distinct neural signatures for each cue type.

Finding landmarks - An investigation of viewing behavior during spatial navigation in VR using a graph-theoretical analysis approach

This paper introduces a graph-theoretical method to analyze eye tracking data in VR to identify and assess the function of landmarks in spatial navigation.

Eye movements reveal spatiotemporal dynamics of visually-informed planning in navigation

This study examines how eye movements during navigation reflect spatiotemporal dynamics of visually-informed planning in complex environments.

Adaptive cognitive maps for curved surfaces in the 3D world

This study investigates how humans represent curved surfaces in 3D space, finding that spatial representations are flexible and influenced by behavioral experience and task demands.

Entropy of city street networks linked to future spatial navigation ability

The paper links street network entropy in childhood environments to spatial navigation ability in adulthood using a global video game-based cognitive task.

Distinct networks coupled with parietal cortex for spatial representations inside and outside the visual field

The paper investigates spatial representations inside and outside the visual field using fMRI and MEG, finding distinct networks in the parietal cortex for different spatial directions.

The role of memory and perspective shifts in systematic biases during object location estimation

The paper investigates systematic biases in object location estimation during perspective shifts, finding participants consistently overestimate object positions in the same direction as the shift.

Combination and competition between path integration and landmark navigation in the estimation of heading direction

This study investigates how humans integrate visual and body-based cues for heading estimation, finding a hybrid strategy where cues are combined for small mismatches and compete for large ones.

Comparable human spatial memory distortions in physical, desktop virtual and immersive virtual environments

The paper compares spatial memory distortions in physical, desktop VR, and HMD VR environments, finding similar model fits across all three despite differences in body-based cues.

An Adaptive Cue Selection Model of Allocentric Spatial Reorientation

This study tests a Bayesian cue combination theory of spatial reorientation and finds that participants instead use the most useful single landmark, suggesting limits to Bayesian models in complex tasks.

Landmark-Based Navigation Instructions Improve Incidental Spatial Learning in Real-Life Environments

This study shows that using landmark-based navigation instructions improves incidental spatial learning in real-life environments compared to standard instructions.

Mice learn multi-step routes by memorizing subgoal locations

This study shows mice use subgoal memorization to learn multi-step routes, a strategy distinct from standard spatial learning models.

Learning The Knowledge: How London Taxi Drivers Build Their Cognitive Map of London

This paper examines how London taxi drivers acquire their cognitive map of London through systematic study and route-based learning, providing insights for AI spatial learning.

Rethinking GPS Navigation: Creating Cognitive Maps Through Auditory Clues

This paper explores how traditional GPS navigation may hinder spatial learning and proposes an auditory-based navigation system to promote active spatial cognition.

Mobile brain/body imaging of landmark-based navigation with high-density EEG

The paper uses mobile EEG to study landmark-based navigation in virtual reality, identifying brain areas and neural modulations involved in spatial learning and behavior.

An immersive first-person navigation task for abstract knowledge acquisition

This study tests if participants can navigate abstract knowledge using a VR-based first-person navigation task, finding that both physical movement and remote exploration lead to similar learning outcomes.

Embodied Spatial Knowledge Acquisition in Immersive Virtual Reality: Comparison to Map Exploration

This study compares spatial knowledge acquisition through virtual reality exploration and map exploration, finding differences in accuracy for direction judgment versus cardinal directions and relative orientation.

Evaluating Wayfinding Designs in Healthcare Settings through EEG Data and Virtual Response Testing

This study evaluates wayfinding designs in healthcare settings using EEG and virtual testing, finding that color and environmental affordances improve navigation and reduce anxiety.

Brain Dynamics of Spatial Reference Frame Proclivity in Active Navigation

This study examines brain dynamics during active navigation in VR, showing how alpha band activity in the parietal cortex correlates with shifts between egocentric and allocentric spatial strategies.

Landmark-Based Turn-by-Turn Instructions Enhance Incidental Spatial Knowledge Acquisition

This study shows that adding landmarks to navigation instructions improves spatial knowledge acquisition even with delays and varying detail levels.

The effect of object type on building scene imagery - an MEG study

This study uses MEG to show that space-defining objects elicit distinct neural responses in vmPFC and STG during scene construction compared to space-ambiguous objects.

Differential brain activity in visuo-perceptual regions during landmark-based navigation in young and healthy older adults

This study investigates brain activity during landmark-based navigation in young and older adults, finding age-related differences in neural networks and strategies.

Multiple spatial codes for navigating 2-D semantic spaces

The paper investigates how the brain represents abstract semantic spaces using spatial coding mechanisms similar to those used in physical navigation.

Evidence for a unitary structure of spatial cognition beyond general intelligence.

The paper assesses spatial orientation and object-based spatial abilities in a large twin sample, finding a common genetic network underlying all spatial abilities.

Sources of path integration error in young and aging humans

This study identifies noise and speed estimation bias as primary sources of path integration errors in young and aging humans, showing age-related declines are linked to increased unbiased noise.

Environmental anchoring of grid-like representations minimizes spatial uncertainty during navigation

The paper shows that aligning grid-like neural representations with environmental information axes improves navigation performance and reduces spatial uncertainty.

Deforming the metric of cognitive maps distorts memory

This study shows that trapezoidal environments distort human spatial memory, similar to how grid cell patterns are affected in rodents, suggesting a link between grid cells and cognitive functions beyond navigation.