Individual Differences in Navigation Skill: Towards Reliable and Valid Measures
Saved in:
| Title: | Individual Differences in Navigation Skill: Towards Reliable and Valid Measures |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jacob L. Lader (ORCID |
| Source: | Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications. 2025 10. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 20 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS) |
| Contract Number: | 2300937 R01HD099165 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Individual Differences, Navigation, Spatial Ability, Factor Analysis, Young Adults, Virtual Classrooms, Map Skills, Cognitive Processes, Perspective Taking |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s41235-025-00642-5 |
| ISSN: | 2365-7464 |
| Abstract: | Even though successful navigation is vital for survival, individuals vary widely in their navigation skills. Researchers have examined the correlates of such variation using a wide variety of paradigms. However, we know little about the relation among the paradigms used, and their validity for real-world behaviors. In this study, we assessed 94 young adult participants' encoding of environmental features in one real-world and two virtual environments (or paradigms), using a within-subjects design. Each paradigm involved building a map from memory and pointing to the location of objects while standing at different locations in the environment. Two of the paradigms also used a route efficiency task in which participants aimed to take the shortest possible path to a target object. Factor analysis showed shared and unique variance in individual's performance associated with each paradigm. Mental rotation and perspective taking tasks correlated with navigation performance differently for different paradigms. The data suggest that (1) virtual measures correlate with real-world ones, (2) the specific tasks used (pointing, map building, shortest route finding) are less important than the paradigm, and (3) there is common variance (i.e., shared individual differences) across paradigms. However, there is also unique paradigm-specific variation. Future research should use multiple paradigms to achieve reliable and valid assessments, ideally with shorter tasks for each. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1473411 |
| Database: | ERIC |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Even though successful navigation is vital for survival, individuals vary widely in their navigation skills. Researchers have examined the correlates of such variation using a wide variety of paradigms. However, we know little about the relation among the paradigms used, and their validity for real-world behaviors. In this study, we assessed 94 young adult participants' encoding of environmental features in one real-world and two virtual environments (or paradigms), using a within-subjects design. Each paradigm involved building a map from memory and pointing to the location of objects while standing at different locations in the environment. Two of the paradigms also used a route efficiency task in which participants aimed to take the shortest possible path to a target object. Factor analysis showed shared and unique variance in individual's performance associated with each paradigm. Mental rotation and perspective taking tasks correlated with navigation performance differently for different paradigms. The data suggest that (1) virtual measures correlate with real-world ones, (2) the specific tasks used (pointing, map building, shortest route finding) are less important than the paradigm, and (3) there is common variance (i.e., shared individual differences) across paradigms. However, there is also unique paradigm-specific variation. Future research should use multiple paradigms to achieve reliable and valid assessments, ideally with shorter tasks for each. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2365-7464 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s41235-025-00642-5 |
