Understanding the role of distance, direction and cue salience in an associative model of landmark learning

Abstract

Navigation and spatial memory relies on the ability to use and recall environmental landmarks relative to important locations. Such learning is thought to result from the strengthening of associations between the goal location and environmental cues. Factors that contribute to the strength of this association include cue stability, saliency and cue location. Here we combine an autoregressive random walk model, that describes goal-directed swimming behaviour, with an associative learning model to provide an integrated model of landmark learning, using the water maze task. The model allows for the contribution of each cue, the salience and the vector information provided (both distance and directional) to be separately analysed. The model suggests that direction and distance information are independent components and can influence searching patterns. Importantly, the model can also be used to simulate various experimental scenarios to understand what has been learnt in relation to the cues, thereby offering new insights into how animals navigate.

Individual Differences and Skill Training in Cognitive Mapping: How and Why People Differ

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Morris Water Maze and Contextual Fear Conditioning Tasks to Evaluate Cognitive Functions Associated With Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis

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NavWell: A simplified virtual-reality platform for spatial navigation and memory experiments

“…The use of cues or landmarks is essential for successful navigation in both the real world and virtual environments (Jansen-Osmann & Fuchs, 2006;Morris, 1981;Rodrigo, 2002). However, there is evidence that cue salience (in terms of size, brightness, and proximity to the goal) may only impact spatial performance (Commins & Fey, 2019). For example, Chamizo and Rodrigo (2004) examined the importance of relative distance of a landmark to a goal using the water maze task.…”