Cue integration and competition during navigation

Abstract

Navigation is influenced by body-based self-motion cues that are integrated over time in a process known as path integration, and also by environmental cues such as landmarks and room shape. This project explored whether humans combine path integration and room shape cues when returning to a previously visited location and connects human cue integration research to animal cue competition research. Participants walked an outbound path in an immersive virtual environment before attempting to return to the path origin. Path integration and an environmental cue were both available during the outbound path, but experimental manipulations created singleand dual-cue conditions during the return path. Response variance when returning to the path origin was reduced when both cues were available. These findings indicate that humans integrate multiple spatial cues during navigation. Additionally, participants preferred environmental cues over path integration when cues were placed in a small conflict, while environmental cues were abandoned in favor of path integration cues when cues were placed in a large conflict.