Qualitative differences in memory for vista and environmental spaces are caused by opaque borders, not movement or successive presentation

Pointing Errors in Non-metric Virtual Environments

“…These representations are hierarchical in nature, such that metric representation is reliable locally while at the same time the global metric representation may be distorted to affect both the location of objects and the orientation of local 'vista spaces'. Evidence compatible with representations of this type has been reported on the basis of pointing, walking or other orientation judgements in environments that were known to the participant [4,5,9]. Another aspect of spatial behaviour that is not predicted by a metric map is that the retrieval of information may depend on the observer's location [14], so that perception of the spatial layout of the scene is different when judged from point A and point B.…”

“…However, while there is a predominant view that metric representations may provide an adequate description of small open environments (vista spaces), there is good evidence that this hypothesis does not hold for a global representation of large complex environments [4]. Multiple experimental studies speak against global metric representations [4][5][6][7][8][9]. For instance, Warren et al [5] found that perceived locations of targets in a labyrinth may overlap, i.e.…”

The Aging Navigational System

“…For example, the almost complete absence of longitudinal studies in humans makes it difficult to separate true age-related change from confounding cohort effects and complicates the precise identification of the variables driving potential decline. Moreover, while we know that the scale of space in which navigation takes place affects the exact cognitive processes involved in navigation (Meilinger et al, 2016; Wolbers & Wiener, 2014), it is currently unknown whether aging differentially affects navigation in, and spatial representations of, vista and environmental scale spaces. It is also unknown if and how key systems such as the entorhinal grid cell system are affected in healthy aging, which makes it difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons why older adults may find it difficult to keep track of their position.…”

Human spatial navigation: representations across dimensions and scales

“…Additionally, how we use spatial boundaries to anchor our representations also differs as a function of spatial scale. In a virtual reality study [55], Meilinger et al compared two navigation conditions of an environment. In one condition, the corridors prevented participants from seeing the whole space at once (environmental space) while in the other, participants could see the entire space from a single viewpoint (vista space, Figure 3).…”