Influence of recalibration of locomotion on spatial orientation

The relationship between biomechanical action and perception of self-motion during walking is typically consistent and well-learned but also adaptable. This perceptual-motor pairing can be recalibrated by creating a mismatch between the visual perception of self-motion and walking speed. Recalibration has been shown to influence subsequent distance judgments, but there are open questions regarding how broadly the calibration of walking influences spatial orientation, or knowledge of where one is in the environment. The present dissertation suggests that the interaction of visual perception and action influences spatial orientation via the process of spatial updating, or dynamically updating where one is while moving through space. Seven experiments examine this hypothesis by testing whether perceptual-motor calibration differentially affects different indicators of spatial orientation and whether the effects of calibration are modulated by environmental context. In each experiment, one judgment of spatial orientation is assessed prior to perceptual-motor recalibration. The perceptual-motor relationship involved in locomotion is then recalibrated by creating a mismatch between visual information about the rate of self-movement and the actions involved in locomotion.