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Spatial reorientation with non-visual cues: Failure to spontaneously use auditory information
Daniele Nardi1, Brian J Anzures1, Josie M Clark1
1Department of Psychology, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL, USA.
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|May 20, 2018
Summary
Humans can navigate using floor slope but spontaneously ignore auditory cues for reorientation. Even when informative, auditory landmarks were not encoded unless participants were prompted.
Area of Science:
- Spatial cognition
- Environmental psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Visual cues are primary for spatial reorientation.
- Non-visual cues' role in navigation is less understood.
- Reorientation involves determining location and facing direction.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate spontaneous use of non-visual cues for navigation.
- Examine encoding of auditory landmarks versus floor slope.
- Determine if auditory cues can be used for reorientation when prompted.
Main Methods:
- Blindfolded sighted participants learned target locations in a circular space.
- Experiment 1: Used floor slope and auditory landmarks.
- Experiments 2 & 3: Varied auditory cue predictiveness and prompted use.
Main Results:
- Floor slope effectively guided navigation, indicating proprioceptive sufficiency.
- Auditory landmarks were not spontaneously encoded, even when informative.
- Participants could use auditory cues for reorientation only after prompting.
Conclusions:
- Proprioception from floor slope is a sufficient cue for navigation.
- Spontaneous reliance on auditory spatial cues is limited, irrespective of informativeness.
- Auditory spatial memory requires explicit prompting for utilization in navigation.
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