Analog properties of cognitive maps constructed from verbal descriptions

Denis, Michel; Zimmere, Michel

doi:10.1007/bf01358266

Cited by 79 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast to early theories of text comprehension arguing that the actual words are preserved in memory, the evidence is now clear that the mental representation is based on the spatial relations and conditions described by the texts, see (Zwaan, 1998) for a review. This ability for language to develop into an abstract spatial form in memory, called a ''cognitive map'' (O'Keefe & Nadel, 1978;Tolman, 1948) has been shown using various measurement techniques, such as spatial priming and recall, distance and pointing judgments, mental scanning operations and map reproduction tasks (Denis & Cocude, 1989, 1997Denis & Zimmer, 1992;Ferguson & Hegarty, 1994;Franklin & Tversky, 1990;Hirtle & Heidorn, 1993;JohnsonLaird, 1983;Perrig & Kintsch, 1985;Talmy, 1983;Taylor & Tversky, 1992;Wilson, Tlauka, & Wildbur, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Wayfinding with words: spatial learning and navigation using dynamically updated verbal descriptions

Giudice

Bakdash

Legge

2006

Psychological Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This work investigates whether large-scale indoor layouts can be learned and navigated non-visually, using verbal descriptions of layout geometry that are updated, e.g. contingent on a participant's location in a building. In previous research, verbal information has been used to facilitate route following, not to support free exploration and wayfinding. Our results with blindfolded-sighted participants demonstrate that accurate learning and wayfinding performance is possible using verbal descriptions and that it is sufficient to describe only local geometric detail. In addition, no differences in learning or navigation performance were observed between the verbal study and a control study using visual input. Verbal learning was also compared to the performance of a random walk model, demonstrating that human search behavior is not based on chance decision-making. However, the model performed more like human participants after adding a constraint that biased it against reversing direction.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Wayfinding with words: spatial learning and navigation using dynamically updated verbal descriptions

Giudice

Bakdash

Legge

2006

Psychological Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, time and distance may well be confusable, and indeed this may be the case in the present experiments. Participants, while standing still or performing acactual distance and rewalked distance, indicating that the acquisition of spatial knowledge using this methodology preserves metric properties of real environments (Zwaan & Radvansky, 1998), and is equivalent to that acquired through direct experience with space (Denis & Cocude, 1989;Denis & Zimmer, 1992). Indeed, in all three experiments, remembered segment distances were sensitive to the variation in the actual distances: Short distances were overestimated, whereas longer ones were underestimated (e.g., Byrne, 1979;Decety et al, 1989;Philbeck, Klatzky, Behrmann, Loomis, & Goodridge, 2001;Radvansky, CarlsonRadvansky, & Irwin, 1995;Thompson, 1983;Thorndyke & Hayes-Roth, 1982).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Action and the representation of distance in cognitive maps acquired through imagined traversal: The development of a new methodology

Bugmann

Coventry

2008

Memory & Cognition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A new methodology examined the effects of action on memory for traversed distance using an imagined route traversal task. Blindfolded participants learned environments through auditory verbal description, imagining themselves walking in synchronization with metronome beats. Participants were turned during traversals, and performed an action at midroute. Memory for the newly learned environments was tested through recall (measured with metronome beats). Experiments 1–3 indicated that the number (but not amplitude) of turns while imagining walking a set distance leads to an increase in perceived distance at recall. Additionally, Experiment 2 found that rewalked distance immediately prior to performing an action at midroute was greater than rewalked distance immediately after action. However, Experiment 3 established that the effect was due to time spent at midroute rather than action per se. The similarity between spatial representation derived from imagined traversal and real traversal, and the relationship between distance and time estimation are discussed

show abstract

“…Regarding communicating verbal descriptions, several researchers developed approaches in finding a structure to effectively describe wayfinding instructions (Denis and Zimmer 1992;Allen 1997;Timpf 2002;Klippel 2003;Tenbrink 2014). These instructions could either be based on route knowledge, survey knowledge or a mix of both (Tversky et al 1999).…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orientation information in wayfinding instructions: evidences from human verbal and visual instructions

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although the importance of landmarks for human navigation and for orientation is well accepted, most of today's navigation systems hardly incorporate any landmark information or information supporting orientation. Different from previous research that only addressed turn-by-turn instructions in verbal forms and landmarks at decision points, the present study provides empirical evidence that human-generated wayfinding instructions are not solely turn-by-turn but the majority of instructions provide orientation information. We propose a new classification scheme for identifying information in wayfinding instructions that will not only support orientation but also facilitate construction of mental map. We explored and compared two forms of representations-visual sketch map and verbal instructions. Results revealed that landmark information is important in human wayfinding instructions with particular importance of local landmarks along the route and global landmarks that support orientation. In addition, sketch maps contained more global landmarks than verbal instructions. In contrast to turn-by-turn navigation, we found that many instructions in human route descriptions do not always refer to turning actions but to orientation. We conducted interviews with a set of raters on what they consider helpful information in both forms of representations. These results confirmed our findings and supported that future route descriptions can be more meaningful and helpful when they are enriched with orientation information as they conform to how humans structure wayfinding instructions.

show abstract

Analog properties of cognitive maps constructed from verbal descriptions

Cited by 79 publications

References 38 publications

Wayfinding with words: spatial learning and navigation using dynamically updated verbal descriptions

Wayfinding with words: spatial learning and navigation using dynamically updated verbal descriptions

Action and the representation of distance in cognitive maps acquired through imagined traversal: The development of a new methodology

Orientation information in wayfinding instructions: evidences from human verbal and visual instructions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About