The Encoding-Error Model of Pathway Completion without Vision

We present a model that accounts for errors in shwt-cutting to complete a triangdur pathway by individuak deprived of visual input. The model assumes that systemutic error arisesfroom components of navigation concerned with encoding an internal representation of the pathway, rather than the computation of a homeward trajectory or motor output per se. Subjects’ tendency to compress the range of actually produced turns and distances, in comparison to the range of correct values, is attributed to regression toward the mean of encoded values during encoding of segments and turns, in the face of uncertainty about the actual values. Individuplsubject variations are attributed to differences in the encoding-function parameters, not to variutions in the processes themselves. The model provides excellent accounts of data obtained with triangular pathways but fares less well when pathway complexity increases, at which point errors do not appear to be solely attributable to encoding processes. The sources of error identified by the model are likely to play a role in navigation more generally.