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Development of an Audio-based Virtual Gaming Environment to Assist with Navigation Skills in the Blind
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Colour as an environmental cue when learning a route in a virtual environment: typical and atypical development
Emily K Farran1, Yannick Courbois, Jo Van Herwegen
1Department of Psychology and Human Development, University of London, London, UK. E.Farran@ioe.ac.uk
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|January 14, 2012
Summary
Children and adults with Williams syndrome (WS) learned routes in virtual mazes. Route learning was similar across groups, but verbalizable color cues improved memory for all participants, especially those with WS.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder affecting cognitive development.
- Environmental cues can aid spatial learning and memory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate route learning in typically developing (TD) children and individuals with WS.
- To examine the impact of verbalizable (focal) versus non-verbalizable (non-focal) color cues on route memory.
Main Methods:
- Participants navigated virtual mazes with color-coded paths.
- Route learning and memory for color cues were assessed.
- Comparison between TD children (6 and 9 years) and WS individuals.
Main Results:
- All groups learned the maze routes, though WS individuals required more trials and had lower memory scores.
- Route learning ability was not affected by the type of color cue (focal vs. non-focal).
- Memory scores were higher for verbalizable focal colors than non-focal colors across all groups.
Conclusions:
- Environmental cue properties, specifically verbalizability, influence spatial memory representation after route learning.
- Individuals with WS and TD children benefit from verbalizable environmental cues for memory consolidation.
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