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Rescaling of Distance Judgments With Geometric and Contextual Changes
Ernest Simons1, Caswell Barry2, Caroline Whyatt1
1Department of Psychology, Sport and Geography, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK.
Hippocampus
|March 11, 2026
Summary
Human distance judgments mirror rodent grid cell behavior. Environmental changes like geometric shifts or new contexts significantly alter distance perception, suggesting shared spatial processing mechanisms across species.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Spatial Navigation
Background:
- Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex are crucial for spatial coding in rodents.
- These neurons show altered firing patterns with environmental changes.
- Previous research focused on rodent neurophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if rodent grid cell responses to environmental manipulations predict human distance judgment behavior.
- To examine human distance estimation under controlled environmental alterations.
Main Methods:
- 51 participants performed distance judgment tasks across five conditions: control, contextual (novel environment), and geometric (local/global expansion/contraction).
- Tasks included distance traversal, memorization, and replication.
- Behavioral data on distance judgments were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Environmental expansions led to significant overestimations of distance, aligning with rodent grid cell data.
- Global geometric manipulations and novel environments caused overestimations compared to control.
- Local geometric manipulations resulted in the least accurate judgments near the manipulation site.
Conclusions:
- Human distance estimation accuracy is influenced by environmental manipulations, paralleling rodent grid cell firing field changes.
- Behavioral findings suggest localized deformations in spatial representations, consistent with grid cell studies.
- This indicates potential commonalities in spatial processing across species.
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