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Abstract

Research in spatial cognition examining how unfamiliar spatial layouts are represented in memory, has shown that people create orientation-dependent representations that are influenced by both environmental
(e.g., geometry of the enclosing space, the internal structure of the layout) and contextual (e.g., the study viewpoint, the viewpoints of conversational partners, instructions) factors. However, what remains unclear is whether these representations change after repeated experience with the layout. For example, does an orientation-dependent memory become orientation-free after prolonged exposure to a layout from all possible viewpoints? We examined this question by comparing the spatial memories of participants about their own rooms in the university halls vs. those of other participants who viewed the same rooms for the first time through Virtual Reality. Similarities and differences across the two conditions were found in the pointing data from a perspective taking task. The implications of the findings for spatial memory are discussed.