The Nature of the Facilitative Effect of Locomotion on Scene Recognition

Abstract

<p> Scene recognition performance is reduced when an observer undergoes a viewpoint shift. However, the cost of a viewpoint shift is less when it is caused by observer locomotion around a scene compared to scene rotation in front of a stationary observer- a phenomenon called the facilitative effect of locomotion. The present dissertation examined the characteristics of the facilitative effect of locomotion, and the mechanism underlying its existence. In each of six experiments, participants learned a spatial arrangement of five identical objects positioned on top of a rotatable table. Participants were then blindfolded and one object was relocated. Simultaneously, participants underwent a viewpoint shift of various magnitudes. The blindfold was then removed and participants identified which object had been moved. Chapter One showed that the facilitative effect of locomotion is robust across a wide range of viewpoint shifts (Experiment la), and that visual cues in the surrounding environment cannot account for this effect (Experiment lb). The results of Chapter Two suggest that active control over the viewpoint shift may partially account for the benefit of locomotion (Experiment 2a), specifically by providing participants with explicit knowledge regarding the magnitude and direction of the viewpoint shift (Experiment 2b ). Finally, Chapter Three showed that body-based cues available during locomotion (i .e. proprioceptive, vestibular, etc.) facilitate performance beyond actively controlling the viewpoint shift alone, and that those cues must be reliable and undisrupted to confer a scene recognition advantage (Experiment 3a). On the other hand, simply remaining oriented within one's environment could not fully account for the facilitative effect of locomotion (Experiment 3b ). These results provide an integrative account of the characteristics and mechanism associated with the facilitative effect of locomotion. Results are also discussed in the context of current views on egocentric and object-based mental transformations. </p>