title: Integration of visuospatial information encoded from different viewpoints.
abstract: Two experiments investigated whether separate sets of objects viewed in the same environment but from different views were encoded as a single integrated representation or maintained as distinct representations. Participants viewed two circular layouts of objects that were placed around them in a round (Experiment 1) or a square (Experiment 2) room and were later tested on perspective-taking trials requiring retrieval of either one layout (within-layout trials) or both layouts (between-layout trials). Results from Experiment 1 indicated that participants did not integrate the two layouts into a single representation. Imagined perspective taking was more efficient on within- than on between-layout trials. Furthermore, performance for within-layout trials was best from the perspective that each layout was studied. Results from Experiment 2 indicated that the stable environmental reference frame provided by the square room caused many, but not all, participants to integrate all locations within a common representation. Participants who integrated performed equally well for within-layout and between-layout judgments and also represented both layouts using a common reference frame. Overall, these findings highlight the flexibility of organizing information in spatial memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, P.O Box 20537, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adamou
authors.forename: Marios N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Avraamides
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D065852:Spatial Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult