The Influence of Spatiotemporal Perception and Landmarks on Spatial Information in Cognitive Maps

doi:10.16719/j.cnki.1671-6981.20240504

Abstract

Abstract: A cognitive map is a mental representation of space that aids in spatial navigation and includes both spatial and temporal characteristics. Research indicates that individuals utilize temporal intervals to express spatial distances, reflecting spatiotemporal navigation traits. However, cognitive maps exhibit flexibility and distortion. Subjective perception of time, as a human cognitive process, can easily influence cognitive maps, leading to cognitive distortion in spatial information. To provide a comprehensive view of navigation, the attributes of landmarks must also be considered. Previous research has demonstrated that landmarks influence individuals' perception of time. Consequently, we hypothesize that environmental landmarks may interact with spatiotemporal, thereby impacting the processing of spatial information in cognitive maps. This study aims to elucidate the influence of spatiotemporal and landmarks during navigation in order to explore their effects on cognitive maps.
The study consisted of two experiments. Experiment 1 aimed to investigate the interaction between spatiotemporal and landmarks in the formation of cognitive maps. The Path Integration Paradigm was employed to assess participants' ability to construct cognitive maps. A total of 34 participants completed the Path Judgment Task and the Sketch Map Task as part of the experiment. The experimental design followed a 2 (spatiotemporal span: 50s wayfinding vs. 100s wayfinding) * 2 (landmarks: landmarks vs. non-landmarks) mixed model, with spatiotemporal span as the between-subjects variable, landmarks as the within-subjects variable, and the results of the path judgment task and the sketch map task as the dependent variables. The results of experiment 1 revealed that in the 100s wayfinding condition, accuracy of distance judgments decreased, while the accuracy of turning angle judgments improved. In the presence of environmental landmarks, individuals tended to overestimate path distance under prolonged perception conditions, while exhibiting minimal errors in the accuracy of spatial information judgment. No effect of spatiotemporal perception on the accuracy of cognitive map making was observed in experiment 1.
Experiment 2 provided further insight into the impact of spatiotemporal perception on spatial information in cognitive maps. The experimental setup paralleled that of experiment 1, with 35 subjects recruited to participate. The experiment utilized a 2 (spatiotemporal span: pause vs. non-pause time) * 2 (landmarks: landmarks vs. non-landmarks) mixed model, with spatiotemporal perception as the between-subjects variable, landmarks as the within-subjects variable, and the results of the path judgment task and sketch map task as the dependent variables. The results of experiment 2 indicated that spatial perception did not significantly affect the judgment of turning angles. However, path judgment errors increased with navigation duration, and landmarks interfered with judgment.
This study explores the impact of spatiotemporal factors on cognitive map construction after individuals familiarize themselves with new environments. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of spatiotemporal on the processing of spatial information in cognitive maps during navigation. The results unveiled a correlation between spatial information processing and spatiotemporal during the construction of cognitive maps, with individuals utilizing navigation duration as a basis for estimating path distance. The accuracy of path judgments improved with longer spatiotemporal span, while the accuracy of turning angle decreased with longer spatiotemporal spans. Moreover, landmark enhanced spatiotemporal perception, enhancing path judgment accuracy but impeding turning angle judgment accuracy. These findings further indicate that distinct processing mechanisms underlie straight-line and turning processing in spatial information. Straight-line information processing is influenced by spatiotemporal perception modulated by speed perception, whereas turn processing is influenced by temporal perception. The comprehensive spatial information processing and simulation results support the Tolman-Eichenbaum Machine (TEM) model of spatial information in cognitive maps and provide direct evidence for the mechanism of cognitive map construction. The research focuses on the spatiotemporal attributes in constructing cognitive maps and broadens the scope of cognitive map research, thereby aiding researchers to understand human spatial navigation behavior.

Key words: cognitive map, spatiotemporal, landmarks, spatial navigation

摘要： 空间导航的时空特性与认知地图密切关联。采用路径整合范式,通过路径距离判断任务和草图绘制任务测量认知地图的空间信息,探索空间导航中时空感知与路标线索对空间信息加工的影响。结果显示：（1）时空感知仅影响空间信息精确性,即时空感知跨度较长时,路径距离判断精确性较差而转弯角度判断精确性较好;（2）路标线索增强了时空感知对路径距离判断的精确性,但降低了转弯角度判断的精确性。也就是说,认知地图空间信息加工受到导航时空特性的影响,即直线加工受速度知觉调节的时空感知影响,转弯加工受时间知觉影响。这一结论对理解个体空间导航的认知加工过程具有重要意义。

关键词: 认知地图, 时空感知, 路标线索, 空间导航

Huang Lei, Zhang Junheng, Yu Yingyue, Chao Jingyi, Ji Ming. The Influence of Spatiotemporal Perception and Landmarks on Spatial Information in Cognitive Maps[J]. Journal of Psychological Science, 2024, 47(5): 1055-1068.

黄雷, 张军恒, 于莹悦, 晁静宜, 姬鸣. 时空感知和路标线索对认知地图空间信息的影响^*[J]. 心理科学, 2024, 47(5): 1055-1068.

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