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Putting Egocentric and Allocentric into Perspective

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Spatial Cognition VII (Spatial Cognition 2010)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 6222))

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Abstract

In the last decade many studies examined egocentric and allocentric spatial relations. For various tasks, navigators profit from both kinds of relations. However, their interrelation seems to be underspecified. We present four elementary representations of allocentric and egocentric relations (sensorimotor contingencies, egocentric coordinate systems, allocentric coordinate systems, and perspective-free representations) and discuss them with respect to their encoding and retrieval. Elementary representations are problematic for capturing large spaces and situations which encompass both allocentric and egocentric relations at the same time. Complex spatial representations provide a solution to this problem. They combine elementary coordinate representations either by pair-wise connections or by hierarchical embedding. We discuss complex spatial representations with respect to computational requirements and their plausibility regarding behavioral and neural findings. This work is meant to clarify concepts of egocentric and allocentric, to show their limitations, benefits and empirical plausibility and to point out new directions for future research.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Spemannstr. 44, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Tobias Meilinger

  2. Institut für Philosophie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Gottfried Vosgerau

Authors
  1. Tobias Meilinger
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  2. Gottfried Vosgerau
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Cognitive Science, Institute of Computer Science and Social Research, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 50, 79098, Freiburg, Germany

    Christoph Hölscher

  2. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall 1701 North 13th Street, 19122-6085, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Thomas F. Shipley  & Nora S. Newcombe  & 

  3. Department of Psychology, ’Sapienza’ University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy

    Marta Olivetti Belardinelli

  4. FB 10, Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Sciences, University of Bremen, Building GW2, Bibliothekstraße 1, 28334, Bremen, Germany

    John A. Bateman

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Meilinger, T., Vosgerau, G. (2010). Putting Egocentric and Allocentric into Perspective. In: Hölscher, C., Shipley, T.F., Olivetti Belardinelli, M., Bateman, J.A., Newcombe, N.S. (eds) Spatial Cognition VII. Spatial Cognition 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 6222. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14749-4_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14749-4_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14748-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14749-4

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