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International Conference on Spatial Cognition

Spatial Cognition 2010: Spatial Cognition VII pp 7–18Cite as

Investigating the Role of Goals and Environmental Structure on Memory for Distance and Time in Virtual Environments

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 6222))

Abstract

Individuals rarely walk in an environment without a purpose. However, the influence of goals on the development of ‘cognitive maps’, has largely been ignored. The results of two experiments are reported that investigated the role of both goals and environmental structures on memory for distance and time in Virtual Reality (VR) environments. Experiment 1 compared the effect of goals varying in urgency and desirability on memory for distance and time in VR environments with and without turns. Striking effects of goals were found for memory for distance and time in both environments. Experiment 2 examined the origins of these goal effects through the use of physiological measurement and mood scales. Results show that goals influence distance estimation as a function of the degree of urgency experienced in situ, and not as a function of overall mood state or arousal on the estimation process.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognition and Communication Research Centre, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK

    Angie Johnson & Kenny R. Coventry

  2. Built Environment Visualisation Centre, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK

    Emine M. Thompson

Authors
  1. Angie Johnson
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  2. Kenny R. Coventry
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  3. Emine M. Thompson
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Cognitive Science, Institute of Computer Science and Social Research, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 50, 79098, Freiburg, Germany

    Christoph Hölscher

  2. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall 1701 North 13th Street, 19122-6085, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Thomas F. Shipley  & Nora S. Newcombe  & 

  3. Department of Psychology, ’Sapienza’ University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Marta Olivetti Belardinelli

  4. FB 10, Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Sciences, University of Bremen, Building GW2, Bibliothekstraße 1, 28334, Bremen, Germany

    John A. Bateman

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© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Johnson, A., Coventry, K.R., Thompson, E.M. (2010). Investigating the Role of Goals and Environmental Structure on Memory for Distance and Time in Virtual Environments. In: Hölscher, C., Shipley, T.F., Olivetti Belardinelli, M., Bateman, J.A., Newcombe, N.S. (eds) Spatial Cognition VII. Spatial Cognition 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 6222. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14749-4_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14749-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14748-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14749-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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