Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
05:15
The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition
Published on: February 19, 2018
"The architecture of curiosity: How spatial configuration influences affect, exploration, and memory"
Simin Nasiri1, Sonit Bafna2, Thackery I Brown1
1School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, United States; Center for Research and Education in Navigation, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, United States.
Neuropsychologia
|May 24, 2026
Summary
Architectural enclosure significantly impacts curiosity and memory. Intermediate enclosure levels best stimulate exploration and positive emotions, enhancing memory recall in virtual reality environments.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Environmental Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Curiosity drives exploration and learning, but its environmental interactions are understudied.
- Existing research primarily focuses on internal curiosity mechanisms, neglecting external influences like spatial configuration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how architectural enclosure influences perceptual curiosity, affect, and memory.
- To explore the relationship between spatial configuration, exploratory behavior, and cognitive outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods experiment utilizing immersive virtual reality (VR) with 22 participants.
- Systematic design of three environments (minimal, intermediate, maximal enclosure) using architectural principles and space syntax.
- Collection of behavioral (gaze, locomotion) and physiological (pupil dilation) data, alongside self-reported curiosity, affect, and memory assessments.
Main Results:
- Spatial enclosure significantly affected memory recall, with higher recall in minimal and intermediate environments compared to maximal enclosure.
- The intermediate enclosure elicited the highest curiosity, exploratory behavior, and positive affect.
- Positive affect correlated significantly with memory performance, indicating a reciprocal relationship.
Conclusions:
- Architectural enclosure is a critical factor influencing curiosity, exploration, and memory.
- Intermediate enclosure levels appear optimal for fostering curiosity and positive emotional experiences, which in turn enhance memory.
- Spatial transitions and thresholds play a key role in driving information-seeking behavior.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Storage
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 each...
01:30Impact of Schemas
Schemas are cognitive structures that provide a framework for interpreting and organizing social information. They help individuals navigate complex environments by offering expectations about people, events, and behaviors. Schemas influence attention, encoding, and retrieval processes, thereby shaping the entire trajectory of information processing in social contexts.Attention and Cognitive LoadDuring initial attention, schemas function as filters that prioritize schema-consistent information,...
01:29The Influence of Affect on Cognition
Positive affect significantly influences cognitive processes, including evaluation, memory, creativity, and social judgments. Compared to negative affect, positive emotional states promote more favorable interpretations of stimuli, cognitive flexibility, and heuristic processing. These effects highlight emotions' powerful role in shaping how individuals perceive, remember, and interact with the world.Influence on Evaluation and AttributionWhen individuals experience positive affect, they are...
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
01:19Understanding Memory
Memory is the retention of information or experiences over time, facilitated through three main processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is the process of inputting information into the memory system. For instance, when listening to a lecture, watching a play, reading a book, or having a conversation, the brain is actively encoding information. This initial stage involves transforming sensory input into a form that can be processed and stored by the brain. Various factors, such as...
01:17Cognitivism
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...