The Effect of Navigational Aids on Spatial Memory in Virtual Reality

Modern navigation aids revolutionized human navigation, but are also criticized for potential negative effects on human spatial memory. However, previous tests focused on spatial skills such as environment learning and mental rotations rather then on spatial memory directly. Here, we test directly the effect of a simple navigational aid – an augmented arrow pointing towards the next target – on users’ spatial memory. We find that performance was significantly more efficient with these guiding arrows, but with no significant decrease in spatial memory performance. This suggests negative effects may stem from other features such as attention, and tempers the media’s over-alarmist view.