ИСТИНА

The aim of our study was to develop the method for testing the ability of allocentric cognitive maps (ACM) acquisition. As allocentric cognitive maps are learned through egocentric views during a wayfinding in a real-world environment, we created the virtual environment to stimulate an observer-centred frame of reference and the method to test its AСM reference. A virtual maze was created and presented using the CAVE system. It consisted of 12 rooms having different sizes, the same wall textures and with no any landmarks. Thirty nine observers (age range 18—22) were tested. The task was to go through all rooms and remember their arrangement. Then to test acquired ACM they should use the special interface consisted of rectangles and door symbols which the participants could locate and vary in accordance with her/his acquired ACM. The accuracy of learned ACM was estimated as complex characteristics including the number of correctly located rooms/doors, their mutual arrangement and the number of repetitions of passing routes. The results showed that the main difficulties in processes of ACM acquisition were connected with errors in the representation of mutual room arrangement. Supported by the Federal Target Program (State Contract № 8011).