Inertial cues do not enhance knowledge of environmental layout

Several sensory modalities besides vision are available to people as they move through an environment, learning where things are. For example, sensory information about linear and angular acceleration (i.e., inertial information) has been shown to be useful for maintaining orientation in a room-sized space. Because noise in inertial systems can compound over time and over extended travel, it is an open question whether inertial information is important for acquiring knowledge about large-scale environments. We addressed this issue in an experiment in which people learned the spatial layout of a large environment under conditions that varied in the degree to which valid inertial cues were available. The presence of valid inertial cues did not facilitate the acquisition of an accurate memory of the environment. Moreover, the presence of invalid inertial cues did not interfere with such acquisition. We conclude that the effect of inertial information on the acquisition of environmental knowledge is minimal.