Relationship Between Navigational Experience and Spatial Abilities

This chapter investigates the interplay between task performance, navigational experience, and individual spatial abilities within a desktop virtual reality (VR) environment. Two competing hypotheses, the Ability-As-Compensator and the Ability-As-Enhancer, are discussed concerning how VR impacts individuals with varying spatial abilities, alongside a proposed unifying theory. The analysis includes an exploration of navigation modes in desktop VR and an experiment assessing spatial abilities, subjective navigation experience, and task performance. However, the findings suggest that, in this specific VR context, no significant correlation was observed among these variables, indicating that this type of VR technology may not distinctly influence individual spatial memory and mental rotation abilities. The chapter concludes by discussing these outcomes, addressing limitations, and highlighting potential areas for future research.