Spatial knowledge of adults and children in a virtual environment: The role of environmental structure

This study investigated the effect of environmental structure's regularity on spatial knowledge in a total of 60 participants: second graders, sixth graders, and adults. A desktop virtual environment was used in which participants moved in a controlled self-determined way. The regularity of environmental structure did not influence spatial knowledge as measured by direction estimations and distances walked in route knowledge and detour tasks. In all measurements, an overall developmental increase of achievement from second graders to adults was found. Furthermore, gender differences were found for children as well as for adults, favouring males in all measurements. In addition, orientation specificity of spatial representations was found for adults and for children. Thus, the results reveal a number of interesting aspects regarding spatial knowledge acquisition of children and adults by using a virtual environmental approach.