Four-dimensional spatial reasoning in humans.
Human subjects practiced navigation in a virtual, computer-generated maze that contained 4 spatial dimensions rather than the usual 3. The subjects were able to learn the spatial geometry of the 4-dimensional maze as measured by their ability to perform path integration, a standard test of spatial ability. They were able to travel down a winding corridor to its end and then point back accurately toward the occluded origin. One interpretation is that the brain substrate for spatial navigation is not a built-in map of the 3-dimensional world. Instead it may be better described as a set of general rules for manipulating spatial information that can be applied with practice to a diversity of spatial frameworks.
Aflalo
T N
TN
Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Graziano
M S A
MS
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D009949:Orientation; D011340:Problem Solving; D012399:Rotation; D013028:Space Perception; D014584:User-Computer Interface