Real and virtual environments have comparable spatial memory distortions after scale and geometric transformations
Fiona Zisch, Antoine Coutrot, Coco Newton, María Murcia-López, Anisa Motala, Jacob Greaves, William de Cothi, Anthony Steed, Nick Tyler, Stephen Gage, Hugo J. Spiers
Abstract
Boundaries define space, impacting spatial memory and neural representations. Unlike rodents, impact in humans is often tested using desktop virtual-reality (VR). This lacks self-motion cues, diminishing path-integration input. We replicated a desktop-VR study testing boundary impact on spatial memory for object locations using a physical, desktop-VR, and head-mounted-display-VR environment. Performance was measured by comparing participant responses to seven spatial distribution models using geometric or walking-path metrics. A weighted-linear combination of geometric models and a “place-cell-firing” model performed best, with identical fits across environments. Spatial representation appears differentially influenced by different boundary changes, but similarly across virtual and physical environments.