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Does Terrain Slope Really Dominate Goal Searching?, Daniele Nardi
Does Terrain Slope Really Dominate Goal Searching?, Daniele Nardi
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
If you can locate a target by using one reliable source of information, why would you use an unreliable one? A similar question has been faced in a recent study on homing pigeons, in which, despite the presence of better predictors of the goal location, the slope of the floor in an arena dominated the searching process. This piece of evidence seems to contradict straightforward accounts of associative learning, according to which behavior should be controlled by the stimulus that best predicts the reward, and has fueled interest toward one question that, to date, has received scarce attention in the …
The World Is Not Flat: Can People Reorient Using Slope?, Daniele Nardi, Nora S. Newcombe, Thomas F. Shipley
The World Is Not Flat: Can People Reorient Using Slope?, Daniele Nardi, Nora S. Newcombe, Thomas F. Shipley
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
Studies of spatial representation generally focus on flat environments and visual input. However, the world is not flat, and slopes are part of most natural environments. In a series of 4 experiments, we examined whether humans can use a slope as a source of allocentric, directional information for reorientation. A target was hidden in a corner of a square, featureless enclosure tilted at a 5° angle. Finding it required using the vestibular, kinesthetic, and visual cues associated with the slope gradient. In Experiment 1, the overall sample performed above chance, showing that slope is sufficient for reorientation in a real …
The Role Of Slope In Human Reorientation, Daniele Nardi, Nora S. Newcombe, Thomas F. Shipley
The Role Of Slope In Human Reorientation, Daniele Nardi, Nora S. Newcombe, Thomas F. Shipley
Faculty Research and Creative Activity
Studies of spatial representation generally focus on flat environments and visual stimuli. However, the world is not flat, and slopes are part of many natural environments. In a series of four experiments, we examined whether humans can use a slope as a source of allocentric, directional information for reorientation. A target was hidden in a corner of a square, featureless enclosure tilted at a 5° angle. Finding it required using the vestibular, kinesthetic and vis-ual cues associated with the slope gradient. Participants succeeded in the task; however, a large sex difference emerged. Men showed a greater ability in using slope …