Spatial learning by egocentric updating during wayfinding in a real middle-scale environment: Effects of differences in route planning and following

We propose that spatial inferences in egocentric reference frames while planning and following a route influence spatial learning through wayfinding. Two wayfinding tasks using real labyrinths were conducted. In Experiment 1, separate and combined route plans produced by number of destinations participants received at the initial stage of route planning were compared. The results suggest that a combined route plan inferring multiple directions of the destinations leads to more accurate representations of relative locations than a separate one inferring only one direction in each movement. In Experiment 2, regular and irregular updating modes produced by visiting orders of destinations in route following were compared. The results suggest that irregular updating involving multidirectional self-to-object updating produces more accurate representations than regular updating involving only single-directional updating. We conclude that spatial inferences about several multidirectional metric interconnections in egocentric reference frames during wayfinding facilitate spatial learning.