Trends in Cognitive Sciences
OpinionSpatial memory: how egocentric and allocentric combine
Introduction
The nature of the representations underlying human spatial cognition has long been the subject of intense debate [1]. Four years ago, an influential opinion piece [2] suggested that spatial memory was solely supported by ‘egocentric’ representations of location (i.e. centered on parts of the body), together with a representation of the surface geometry of the environment that enables the reorientation of a disoriented individual. This simple model inspired several experiments in cognitive psychology. Here, I review some of these recent results and show how, together with neuroscientific evidence regarding the nature of spatial representation in the brain, they reveal the parallel presence of both egocentric representations and ‘allocentric’ (or ‘geocentric’) representations centered on aspects of the external environment. Further, these results begin to illuminate the complementary contributions to cognition made by egocentric and allocentric representations, and the ways in which they interact.
It has often been argued that the presence of allocentric representations cannot be safely inferred from behavioral results because alternative explanations using solely egocentric representation can often be found [3]. Building upon several elegant experimental findings from their own and other laboratories, Wang and Spelke [2] suggested a simple model of spatial memory that depends upon two types of egocentric process and a ‘geometric module’ 4, 5. The egocentric processes are viewpoint-dependent scene recognition and spatial updating of egocentric locations by self-motion information. The geometric module represents the surface geometry of the surrounding environment, and is used for reorientation of disoriented individuals, but has no direct role in representing object locations. Enduring allocentric representations of location are explicitly absent. Alone among mammals, they argue, humans can go beyond these basic processes by using natural language to combine each with the other, as well as by using artifacts such as symbolic maps.
Section snippets
Evidence for an egocentric model
The model of Wang and Spelke was supported by four main strands of evidence, briefly reviewed below.
Egocentric and allocentric representations exist in parallel
The model of Wang and Spelke raised several questions. First, although much evidence for egocentric representations was presented, this does not constitute evidence for the absence of allocentric representations. Direct evidence for or against representations centered on some aspects of the environment requires experimental manipulation of the environmental cues.
Second, although a mathematically equivalent egocentric frame of reference exists for any allocentric frame of reference, maintaining
Concluding remarks
The precision of Wang and Spelke's analysis [2] beautifully exposed several key issues in human spatial cognition, inspiring a succession of studies. As a result, we now have a more complete understanding of the underlying processes.
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Marko Nardini, Tom Hartley and Jon Driver for useful comments on this manuscript. This research was supported by the Medical Research Council, UK, and the Wayfinding project of the European Union.
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