Deforming the metric of cognitive maps distorts memory

What the study found

Spatial memory and distance judgments were systematically distorted in deformed geometry, consistent with geometry-dependent cognitive maps.

Limitations

Virtual setting; specific task; not a direct test of daily building navigation.

Neurodesign interpretation

This is one of the strongest examples of form changing the internal map rather than merely changing how a space looks.

Possible design implications

Test highly irregular plans for memory errors and distance misestimation, especially where wayfinding failure is costly.

Why it stays in the corpus

Retain as the key human bridge from grid-cell geometry to architectural cognition.

Study design

VR navigation and memory experiment

Population

Human participants

Setting

Virtual environments

Field

Spatial cognition

Mechanism

Cognitive-map distortion, spatial memory

Spatial variable

Square versus trapezoidal geometry

Keywords

cognitive maps, trapezoid, geometry, VR, memory