11. January 2021 : New publication on spatial learning

König SU, Keshava A, Clay V, Rittershofer K, Kuske N and König P (2020).
Embodied spatial knowledge acquisition in immersive Virtual Reality: Comparison to map exploration.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.12.903096 bioRxiv

Investigating spatial learning in virtual environments allows studying different sources of information under controlled conditions. We built a virtual environment in the style of a European village and investigated spatial knowledge acquisition by experience in the virtual environment versus by the use of an interactive map. The results suggested that the source of spatial exploration differentially influenced spatial knowledge acquisition. Specifically, judgment of cardinal directions was more accurate after virtual reality exploration, whereas building-to-building orientation, and judgment of direction between buildings was learnt more easily after map exploration, while an alignment effect was confined to map exploration condition only. Please find more details by clicking on the above preprint link.