The effects of restricted field-of-view on spatial learning while navigating: implications for strategy use and cognitive load

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Title The effects of restricted field-of-view on spatial learning while navigating: implications for strategy use and cognitive load
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Social & Behavioral Science
Department Psychology
Author Barhorst-Cates, Erica Marie
Date 2016
Description Research suggests that spatial memory while navigating with severely degraded acuity demands the use of limited cognitive resources. Peripheral vision is also a vital aspect of successful navigation, both for sensory cues and for obstacle avoidance. In a series of studies, we examined how restricted peripheral field during navigation influences spatial memory (Experiments 1-3). Participants walked on novel real-world paths wearing goggles that restricted the field-of-view (FOV) to severe (4, 10, or 15) or mild angles (60) and then pointed to remembered target locations using a verbal reporting measure. Only the most severe restriction (4) showed impairment in pointing error compared to the mild restriction (within-subjects). The 4 condition also showed an impairment in reaction time to a secondary attention task, suggesting that navigating with 4 FOV demands the use of limited cognitive resources. This comparison of different levels of field restriction suggests that peripheral field loss does not negatively affect spatial memory for navigation until the restriction is very severe (4). Additionally, we examined the effectiveness of slower walking speed as a strategy to offload the cognitive costs of navigating with severely restricted FOV (Experiment 4). Results suggest that walking speed may negatively affect cognitive resources in general, but not spatial memory for object locations.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject navigation; restricted peripheral field; spatial learning
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management ©Erica Marie Barhorst-Cates
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 461,864 bytes
Identifier etd3/id/4160
ARK ark:/87278/s6ms7249
Setname ir_etd
ID 197707
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6ms7249
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