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Updated: Aug 24, 2026

Assessing Human Spatial Navigation in a Virtual Space and its Sensitivity to Exercise
Published on: January 26, 2024
Transfer of spatial behavior between different environments: implications for theories of spatial learning and for
John M Pearce1, Mark A Good, Peter M Jones
1School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3YG, Wales, UK. pearcejm@cardiff.ac.uk
Abstract:
In 3 experiments, rats were required to find a submerged platform located in 1 corner of an arena that had 2 long and 2 short sides; they were then trained to find the platform in a new arena that also had 2 long and 2 short sides but a different overall shape. The platform in the new arena was easier to find if it was in a corner that was geometrically equivalent, rather than the mirror image, of the corner where it had previously been located. The final experiment revealed that hippocampal lesions impaired rats' ability to find the platform in these arenas. The results suggest that rats did not use the overall shape of the arena to locate the platform but relied on more local cues and that the hippocampus plays a role in navigation based on these cues.
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