Spatial Navigation in Virtual Reality: Does the Implementation of Motion Influence Navigation Strategy?

When navigating through space, human either rely on an allocentric strategy by referring to external landmarks and spatial relationships or an egocentric strategy by referring to self-referenced cues or body movements. These strategies can be assessed using a T-maze paradigm, where participants are first asked to locate a target in a T- shaped maze surrounded by visual landmarks. After multiple practice trials in which the target remains in the same location, the landmarks are rotated relative to the maze. Participants’ subsequent navigations provide insight into their preferred navigation strategy. T-maze experiments have been conducted in VR settings. However, it is unclear to what extent the implementation of motion affects the motion strategy. To address this question, participants complete a T-maze task (1) in immersive VR with physical walking, (2) in immersive VR using a controller to move, and (3) in a screen-based, non-immersive VR setting using a controller. In addition to assessing navigation strategies, the study compares the experience in VR regarding motion sickness and sense of presence. By examining the impact of embodied movement on spatial orientation, this study aims to clarify the role of self-motion for navigation strategy selection and provides insights into the mechanisms underlying spatial cognition.