The process of spatial knowledge acquisition in a square and a circular virtual environment.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Virtual Reality Research

Background:

• Spatial knowledge acquisition is crucial for navigation and environmental understanding.
• Virtual environments offer controlled settings to study spatial learning.
• Developmental differences in spatial cognition are well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of environmental structure (circular vs. square) on spatial knowledge acquisition.
• To compare spatial learning performance across different age groups (children and adults).
• To analyze how environmental shape influences navigation strategies and learning efficiency.

Main Methods:

• 120 participants (7-8 years, 11-12 years, adults) completed tasks in a desktop virtual environment.
• Self-determined movement was allowed within circular and square virtual settings.
• Spatial knowledge was assessed through route learning, landmark navigation, and direction estimation tasks.

Main Results:

• A developmental increase in spatial knowledge acquisition was observed from younger children to adults.
• Environmental structure significantly affected learning; circular environments were easier than square ones for route learning and landmark navigation.
• Exploration and learning behaviors did not significantly differ between children and adults.
• The advantage of the circular environment was not observed in the direction estimation task.

Conclusions:

• Environmental structure plays a significant role in spatial knowledge acquisition, with circular layouts proving more advantageous.
• While cognitive abilities improve with age, learning behaviors in virtual environments are comparable across developmental stages.
• The findings highlight the importance of environmental design in virtual reality for effective spatial learning and cognitive development.