Behavioral experiments in spatial cognition using virtual reality

Virtual reality is used as a novel tool for behavioral experiments on humans. Two environments, Hexatown and Virtual Tübingen, are presented. Experiments on cognitive maps carried out in the Hexatown environment are reported in this paper. Results indicate that subjects are able to acquire configuration knowledge of the virtual town even in the absence of physical movement. Simpler mechanisms such as associations of views with movements are also present. We discuss the results in relation to a graph-theoretic approach to cognitive maps