Regional differences of large-scale spatial orientation ability in virtual environment

Spatial orientation is one of the key capabilities of spatial navigation. Orientation in physical space, or large-scale spatial orientation, refers to the process by which an individual locates and navigates in a large-scale environment. Various geographic environments influence how individuals represent spatial orientation during navigation. Based on spatial reference frame theory, this study used a desktop virtual environment navigation task to explore the regional differences in large-scale spatial orientation abilities and their causes. The study findings offer valuable insights for designing navigation in different geographic areas to avoid safety accidents arising from navigation errors. Experiment 1 employed desktop virtual reality technology to clarify potential differences in large-scale spatial orientation abilities using the Route-repetition and Route-retracing tasks. Experiment 2 explored the underlying causes of regional disparities by utilizing the directional approach task, which assessed the flexibility of spatial reference frame transformation. Experiment 3 aimed to improve the large-scale spatial orientation abilities among participants from the southern region by activating the environmental spatial reference frame prior to the task. The results indicated significant differences between participants from the northern and southern regions in Experiment 1, with the former showing significantly higher performance in the Route-retracing task. It was observed that participants from the northern region preferred to utilize the environmental reference frame, while participants from the southern region demonstrated an advantage in using the egocentric reference frame. Additionally, participants performed better in the Route-repetition task compared to the Route-retracing task. In Experiment 2, the correct response rate for the same direction in the directional approach task was higher than for different directions. Furthermore, in the directional asymptote task, participants from the northern region achieved higher correct response rates compared to their southern counterparts. Experiment 3 revealed that the group with the activated environmental reference frame demonstrated higher performance compared to the control group. This study encompassed three experiments, yielding the following findings: (1) Spatial orientation abilities varied among participants from different regions. Participants from the northern region displayed superior performance in the Route-retracing task that required an environmental reference frame, while participants from the southern region preferred to utilize the egocentric reference frame. (2) These differences were attributed to disparities in the use and flexibility of spatial reference frames. Performance variations observed in the Route-retracing task between participants from different regions were linked to their capacity for flexible spatial reference frame switching during navigation tasks. (3) Activating the environmental reference frame for participants from the southern region enhanced their performance of large-scale spatial orientation tasks effectively. Specifically, incorporating a first-person perspective of the surrounding landmark structures in the navigation design facilitated the formation of an environmental reference frame for users. This study supports the spatial reference frame theory and embodied spatial transformation theory, offering recommendations for differentiated navigation interface design.