Schedule of Events | Symposia

Effects of Active Exploration versus Passive Observation on Spatial Learning, on Spatial Memory, and Map Drawing.

Poster Session E - Monday, March 31, 2025, 2:30 – 4:30 pm EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

LaTajah Lambey¹ (llambey3@gatech.edu), Scott Moffat¹; ¹Georgia Institue of Technology

Active navigation is characterized by direct interactions with the environment, including making decisions that guide learning and determining how much time is spent gathering “sufficient” knowledge. In contrast, passive observation involves watching another navigator’s view. Here, the spatial information learned is bounded by what the actor experiences. The literature on the differences between active and passive learning is widely inconsistent. Performance between actors and observers seems to depend on the task-goal requirements involving spatial layout memory or object memory. This study examines the effects of the mode of learning – active exploration with a joystick or passive observation by video-- on spatial ability, including spatial memory, spatial efficiency, and map drawing. Participants learned to navigate with a joystick through a spatial environment to learn the locations of 6 objects and the environment layout. Active navigators moved freely about the environment while being recorded for yoked-control observers to watch later. Each participant drew an overhead map diagram of the environment and was given an object recall search task. Preliminary analysis indicated no significant differences between actors and observers on landmark recall or map drawing. Actors had faster movement speeds during recall trials, t(43) = -2.498, p= .0164. Correlation analysis showed that mental rotation ability was positively associated with recall accuracy and map drawing. The results showed that the advantages of being an actor in this navigation task were primarily restricted to improvements in the motor demands of moving through the environment, with negligible advantages in acquiring spatial knowledge and cognitive mapping.  

Topic Area: OTHER