Abstract
This study aimed to investigate: (i) whether a mental representation derived from spatial descriptions was represented according to a specific orientation, and (ii) which kind of visuo-spatial ability dictate such a mental representation.
A sample of 148 participants listened to one of four descriptions combining spatial perspectives (survey vs. route) and orientations used to provide information (from south to north [SN] vs. from north to south [NS]). Then they performed pointing (SN- and NS-oriented) and map drawing tasks, and a series of visuo-spatial measures. The results showed that: (i) SN pointing performance was better after both SN and NS descriptions, indicating that information is preferentially represented in a mental map north up oriented even when descriptions are presented in the opposite direction (i.e. from south to north). Perspective-taking was the main spatial ability involved in sustaining the mental representation when participants were required to learn information and to adopt imaginary positions from north to south.
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Meneghetti, C., Pazzaglia, F., De Beni, R. (2012). The Mental Representation Derived from Spatial Descriptions is North-Up Oriented: The Role of Visuo-spatial Abilities. In: Stachniss, C., Schill, K., Uttal, D. (eds) Spatial Cognition VIII. Spatial Cognition 2012. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 7463. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32732-2_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-32732-2_18
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