Parallel acquisition of map-based (allocentric) and action-based (egocentric) strategies in human navigation
Poster Presentation

Kinga Igloi
LPPA Collège de France

Alain Berthoz

Laure Rondi-Reig

     Abstract ID Number: 113
     Full text: Not available
     Last modified: March 17, 2006
     Presentation date: 06/19/2006 10:00 AM in Hamilton Building, Foyer
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Abstract
Learning a spatial task involves encoding and organizing multisensorial information of the environment (Berthoz and Viaud-Delmon, 1999). Two main cognitive strategies have been described in navigation: the allocentric or map-based strategy and the egocentric or action-based strategy. Our primary research interest is to investigate how multisensorial information is organized to produce multiple and parallel navigation strategies during a spatial task.
Hitherto, we developed a virtual version of the ‘Starmaze’ test designed in animals (Rondi-Reig et al., 2005), which allows specific characterization of spontaneously used navigation strategies. The virtual environment represents a pentagonal ‘starmaze’ in countryside landscape and various sensorial inputs can be used to solve the task.
We have shown that, to navigate, subjects use the map-based or the action-based strategy or both and specified to what extent their way of execution differs. Regardless of spontaneous strategy preference, the subjects execute bi-directional shifts from one strategy to the other and whatever the strategy used, performance is similar. This indicates that simultaneously encoded multisensorial information can be computed alternately to the two strategies and comforts the idea of mental coexistence of spatial strategies.