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Spatial perspective taking: Effects of social, directional, and interactive cues
Peri Gunalp1, Tara Moossaian2, Mary Hegarty2
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA. pgunalp@ucsb.edu.
Memory & Cognition
|February 21, 2019
Summary
Including avatars or everyday objects in spatial perspective-taking tests enhances performance. This improvement stems from facilitating mental simulation, not just directional cues, highlighting the importance of relatable interactions for cognitive tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Spatial Cognition
Background:
- Spatial perspective-taking is crucial for social interaction and navigation.
- Avatars in virtual environments can influence user behavior and performance.
- The specific mechanisms by which avatars enhance spatial tasks remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of avatar characteristics (directionality, agency, interactivity) in spatial perspective-taking.
- To compare the effects of social cues (avatars) versus abstract or concrete directional cues on task performance.
- To understand the cognitive strategies employed during spatial perspective-taking tasks.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Compared performance with an avatar, an arrow, and a control condition.
- Experiment 2: Compared performance with an avatar and a non-agentive concrete object (chair).
- Participants reported their cognitive strategies, primarily mental simulation.
Main Results:
- The avatar significantly improved performance compared to the control and arrow conditions.
- The avatar and chair conditions showed similar performance improvements over the control.
- Directionality alone (arrow cue) did not enhance performance.
- Mental simulation of being in the environment was the dominant strategy.
Conclusions:
- Avatar-enhanced performance in spatial perspective-taking is linked to grounding the task in relatable interactions.
- The perceived agency or interactivity of the cue is less critical than its ability to facilitate mental simulation.
- Integrating familiar objects or social agents into spatial tasks can improve cognitive performance by aiding visualization.
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