Map learning and working memory: Multimodal learning strategies.

The current research investigated whether learning spatial information from a map involves different modalities, which are managed by discrete components in working memory. In four experiments, participants studied a map either while performing a simultaneous interference task (high cognitive load) or without interference (low cognitive load). The modality of interference varied between experiments.

The processing of object identity information by women and men.

The study examined whether women excel at tasks which require processing the identity of objects information as has been suggested in the context of the well-known object location memory task. In a computer-simulated task, university students were shown simulated indoor and outdoor house scenes. After studying a scene the students were presented with two images.

Immediate and delayed recall of a small-scale spatial array.

The study examined people's spatial memory of a small-scale array of objects. Earlier work has primarily relied on short-retention intervals, and to date it is not known whether performance is affected by longer intervals between learning and recall. In the present investigation, university students studied seven target objects.

Judgements of relative direction: the effect of task instructions on spatial recall.

One of the most widely used tasks in the spatial memory literature is the judgement of relative direction (JRD) test. The present investigation examined the hypothesis that standard JRD task demands bias spatial recall. In two experiments, participants' recall of small-scale layouts as measured by standard JRD tests (in which the relationship between objects was employed to establish imagined orientations within the learned scene) was compared with recall as measured by novel JRD tasks.

Vertical representational biases in healthy university students.

In line bisection tasks neurologically intact individuals tend to bisect lines slightly left of their midpoint for horizontal lines, and above centre for vertical lines, a phenomenon known as perceptual pseudoneglect (Bowers & Heilman, 1980; Van Vugt, Fransen, Creten, & Paquiner, 2000). Recent investigations have demonstrated the leftward bias to extend to mental imagery, a finding known as representational pseudoneglect (McGeorge, Beschin, Colnaghi, Rusconi, & Della Sala, 2007). This paper examined whether the upward bias found in perceptual tasks extended to mental imagery in healthy individuals.

The first-perspective alignment effect: the role of environmental complexity and familiarity with surroundings.

People often remember relatively novel environments from the first perspective encountered or the first direction of travel. This initial perspective can determine a preferred orientation that facilitates the efficiency of spatial judgements at multiple recalled locations. The present study examined this "first-perspective alignment effect" (FPA effect).

Adoption of an internal viewpoint following presentations of plan-view diagrams and maps.

This study investigated people's ability to adopt novel imagined viewpoints after studying plan-view diagrams and maps. In two experiments, university students were presented with a plan-view diagram of a character surrounded by nearby objects (Expt 1) or a character within a map of a multi-level shopping centre (Expt 2). Subsequently, participants' spatial knowledge of the diagrams/maps was tested by asking them about the location of six salient objects/places.

Encoding modality and spatial memory retrieval.

This study examined the temporal characteristics of event-related brain electrical activity associated with the processing of spatial memories derived from linguistic and tactile information. Participants learned a map by (1) reading a text description of the map, (2) touching a wooden topological representation of the map (hidden from view), or (3) both. Subsequently, the participants' ability to use their spatial knowledge was tested in a spatial orientation task.

Spatial ability in secondary school students: intra-sex differences based on self-selection for physical education.

Past research has demonstrated consistent sex differences with men typically outperforming women on tests of spatial ability. However, less is known about intra-sex effects. In the present study, two groups of female students (physical education and non-physical education secondary students) and two corresponding groups of male students explored a large-scale virtual shopping centre.

Spatial knowledge of geographical globes: evidence of vertical alignment effects.

This study investigated human spatial memory of geographical globes. In two experiments, participants studied locations presented on a three-dimensional globe. Subsequently, participants' knowledge of the locations was tested employing two types of pointing task.

Updating imagined translational movements.

The aim of this study was to examine the mental processes involved in changes that are the result of imagined translational movements. Participants were presented with a single view of a small spatial display. In a computer-based reaction-time task, spatial judgments were then made relative to four imagined headings that were either the study view or novel views that differed from the study view in terms of imagined rotational and/or translational movements.

Orientation dependent mental representations following real-world navigation.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the mental representations acquired from real-world navigation are encoded in a single, specific orientation. Previous research has revealed an inconsistent pattern of results. In the present study, participants explored a university campus.

Viewing a map versus reading a description of a map: modality-specific encoding of spatial information.

This study investigated whether brain neural activity that accompanied the processing of previously learned map information was influenced by the modality in which the spatial parameters of the maps were originally learned. Participants learned a map by either viewing it directly or by reading an equivalent verbal description. Following learning, the participants' ability to use their spatial knowledge was tested in a spatial orientation task.

Display-control compatibility: the relationship between performance and judgments of performance.

This study examined whether people can judge the usability of display-control mappings. Participants identified one of two alternatives which were presented in a questionnaire. Several types of stimuli were tested, ranging from simple shapes to semantic stimuli.

Switching imagined viewpoints: the effects of viewing angle and layout size.

The study examined the cognitive processes involved in switching from familiar to novel points of observation. Participants studied a single view of a small (table-top model) or large (laboratory) spatial display that was presented from a horizontal or vertical viewing angle. In a reaction-time task, spatial judgments were then made from imagined perspectives that were either the original perspective or a parallel, novel perspective.