The Fashion And Prerequisites Of The Egocentric Updating Of Language Described Scenes

Abstract: Spatial cognitive ability is an important and indispensable capability in human reality. The online automatic and effortless spatial updating ensures our instinct and intuition space behavior, thereby promoting our acquisition of space knowledge. We can use language from any perspectives to describe and exchange perceptual or imagined spatial information and to transform the imagined spatial relationships, thus to be an important way to acquire knowledge of space. Spatial language which links the perceptual space to the imagined space is an ideal way to study the relationship of interaction between cognitive and perceptual systems. This study used the language described situation model paradigm attempted to reveal the features and fashion of imagined spatial updating and to discover the factors which impacted the imagined spatial updating, at the same time to explore whether the imagined and perceptual spatial updating used the similar preconditions, also studied the relationships between the fashion of spatial updating and the research paradigms. Further researches on these issues could help us understanding human spatial cognitive behaviors.The study consisted of five experiments;all experimental procedures were designed by VC 6.0 languages.Experiment 1 tested whether the language described scenes could online updating under two different rotation modes. Experiment 2 removed the spatial terms which described the location of objects and used 3D scenes showing the self-to-objects directions. The purpose was to testing whether it was due to retrieving the surface spatial terms which led to the alignment effect, as well as testing spatial updating under imagined rotation could be facilitated. Experiment 3 used spatial interference task to test whether the online automatic spatial updating didn't take place as a result of working memory loaded. Experiment 4 tested whether motion perception and learning of visual cues of object locations in the physical perceptual egocentric frame of reference were the two prerequisite of online automatic updating of imagined scenes. Experiment 5 used the incidental implicit learning paradigm to test the spatial updating behaviors of imagined scenes when participants could not use explicit coding strategies.Combining experimental results and the discussion, this study supported and drew the following conclusions:1. The response to the location of objects in imagined space was base on human physical spatial structure which acted as a reference. It was limited to the gravity up/down axis asymmetry, so fastest responded to it;then the front/back axis that was asymmetric and oriented both our perception and our behavior, so faster responded;the left/right axis was more or less symmetric so responded slower than front/back. The accessibility of different direction dimensions was determined by the physical and environmental characteristics and perceptual functional interactions between them.2. The actual physical perceptual egocentric frame of reference had an interfering and a promoting effects on imagine updating tasks at the same time .The perspective alignment effect in the imagined spatial transformation may be due to physical perceptual egocentric frame of reference kept align with the imagined egocentric frame of reference, thus facilitated the latter one. The misalignment effect may be due to actual physical egocentric frame of reference interfered with the cognitive defined egocentric frame of reference.3. The imagined space could not online automatic updating, but subsequently relied on a post -hoc updating fashion which retrieved updating information from a memory spatial representation. This kind of updating fashion was distinct from perceptual environment spatial updating and perhaps due to the conflicts between actual physical and imagined physical egocentric frameworks. When physical perceptual and imagined egocentric frame of reference had a different orientation, the former firstly interfered with the latter' direction judgments. The conflicts between perception and imagination were most significant when the vestibular sensory feedbacks and proprioception all absent.4. The actual physical sensory motor perception combined with the learning of the visual cues about location of objects within the actual physical egocentric frameworks were the two prerequisites of online egocentric updating of the imagined space. To a certain extent, the actual physical movement promoted the consistency check between the perceptual egocentric frame of reference and the imagined egocentric frame of reference, thus made the imagined and actual perspectives re-matched .At the same time the visual cues learning within the perceptual egocentric framework produced the fully spatial presence and promoted the imagined objects breaking away the interference ofthe imagined egocentric frame of reference, thus further facilitated the self sensory motor perception to achieve online egocentric updating of the imagined space.5. The fashion of spatial updating had a certain relation with the paradigm of spatial learning. The researches of spatial updating often used explicit learning paradigm and assumed that tests were the online updating system, but this experiment result supported the post-hoc updating system. Therefore, in order to study online updating, one must be ensure that the tested system is an online system. Implicit learning method could effectively prevent the explicit coding strategies.