Biased representations of the spatial structure of navigable environments.

Recent studies (e.g., Shelton & McNamara in Cognitive Psychology, 43(4), 274-310, 2001; Valiquette, McNamara, & Smith in Memory and Cognition, 31(3), 479-489, 2003) have demonstrated that judgments of relative direction (JRD) access a single enduring orientation-dependent allocentric representation of the layout of objects in an environment, regardless of whether the space is viewed from one or multiple vantage points.

Allocentric and egocentric updating of spatial memories.

In 4 experiments, the authors investigated spatial updating in a familiar environment. Participants learned locations of objects in a room, walked to the center, and turned to appropriate facing directions before making judgments of relative direction (e.g.

Locomotion, incidental learning, and the selection of spatial reference systems.

In three experiments, we examined the effects of locomotion and incidental learning on the formation of spatial memories. Participants learned the locations of objects in a room and then made judgments of relative direction, using their memories (e.g.