Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2025
05:15
The Spatial Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
10.8K
Spatial memory and frames of reference: How deeply do we rely on the body and the environment?
1Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Immersive Virtual Reality, CS-IVR, Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Italy. santa.iachini@unicampania.it.
Cognitive Processing
|August 9, 2024
Summary
Our minds represent space using body-centric (egocentric) and environment-centric (allocentric) frames. Egocentric spatial representation relies on the body for immediate actions, while allocentric representation focuses on the environment for larger scales.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Spatial Cognition
Background:
- Two classical models explain mental spatial representation: egocentric (body-dependent) and allocentric (environment-dependent) frames of reference.
- The influence of body and environment on these frames, and their modulation by time and scale, remains an area of active research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential impact of bodily and environmental factors on egocentric and allocentric spatial representations.
- To explore how temporal factors and spatial scale affect these two representational systems.
Main Methods:
- Empirical investigation using motor interference, blindness, environmental characteristics, and temporal factors.
- Analysis of their effects on egocentric and allocentric spatial representational capacity.
Main Results:
- Egocentric representations are strongly tied to the body's sensory and motor properties, particularly for immediate actions in small-scale spaces.
- Allocentric representations are more influenced by environmental and visual cues than bodily ones, especially for large-scale spaces.
Conclusions:
- The human spatial representation system is adaptable, with egocentric and allocentric frames serving distinct roles based on scale and interaction.
- Further research is needed to understand the innate nature of this system and its neural underpinnings.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
612
Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
612
01:42Schemas
11.6K
A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
11.6K
01:03Inertial Frames of Reference
7.0K
Newton’s first law is usually considered to be a statement about reference frames. It provides a method for identifying a special type of reference frame: the inertial reference frame. In principle, we can make the net force on a body zero. If its velocity relative to a given frame is constant, then that frame is said to be inertial. So, by definition, an inertial reference frame is a reference frame where Newton's first law holds valid. Newton's first law applies to objects with...
7.0K
01:23Storage
82
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze...
82
01:25Factors Affecting Perception
1.5K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
1.5K
01:27Non-inertial Frames of Reference
5.8K
A reference frame accelerating or decelerating relative to an inertial frame is a non-inertial frame. To help understand this, consider what taking off in an airplane, turning a corner in a car, riding a merry-go-round, and the circular motion of a tropical cyclone all have in common. All these systems are accelerating, decelerating, or rotating relative to the Earth; hence, they all are non-inertial frames. All these systems exhibit inertial forces, which merely seem to arise from motion,...
5.8K