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Abstract

A number of experiments have shown that path integration in darkness can be accomplished using interoceptive information. We examine the contribution of vision to the accumulation of translational information during path integration in a return to origin task, using a fully immersive cue-rich virtual environment. Nine paths with varying lengths and numbers of turns were tested. During walking the outward legs of a path, a mis-match was introduced between actual translation and the perceived translation of the virtual environment, which was either increased or decreased. The return leg of the path was performed without vision. The mis-match trials were interleaved with two control conditions; one where vision matched interoceptive information exactly on the outward paths, and one without any visual input. ANOVA analysis on sixteen subjects showed a significant effect of the visual manipulation. Return path lengths were consistent with the visual manipulation suggesting a strong visual component to 'path integration' in this task. A separate effect of path length, depending on path type suggests that distance is underestimated for longer paths with more turns.