Materials: A large (15’ x 20’) maze with movable
opaque curtains was configured as in Figure 1. At four locations in
this maze, a 4’ high cardboard pedestal was placed. On each pedestal
was a large radio. The room was also modeled
on the computer using WorldUp by Sense8 for the virtual training portions
of the experiment (see fig **). Click here to
see this maze in primitive VRML form.
Procedure: Subjects were given exposure to the maze based on the
condition to which they had been assigned.
Experimental groups consisted of the following:
Blind: Subjects in this group were given no exposure to the maze room.
Real30: This group was given 30 seconds in which to freely explore the maze. For the first trial, the experimenter pointed out the appropriate route between each object and thereafter, subjects were given no information or advice.
Real60: This group was given identical treatment as the ‘Real30’ group except the time they were given to explore the maze was increased to 60 seconds.
Real90: This group was given identical treatment as the ‘Real30’ and ‘Real60’ groups except the time they were given to explore the maze was increased to 90 seconds.
Map: Subjects were shown an overhead map of the maze and were asked to study it for one minute. Subjects in this condition got to examine the map for one minute each time before entering the maze.
One-time-Map: Subjects in this group were shown the same overhead map of the maze and were asked to study if for one minute. Subjects saw this map at the beginning of the experiment and had no subsequent exposure to it.
VR-Desk60: This group was given one minute of exposure to a virtual replica of the maze. These subjects were seated 18 inches from a 21" color monitor at 800 x 600 resolution (True color, 60 Hz refresh) and the scene was rendered on a Pentium Pro 200 computer using an Oxygen 102 graphics accelerator. As with the real world group, subjects were instructed which way to go in order to get to each station in order. The subjects’ motion and viewpoint in the virtual environment was controlled by the user with a joystick.
VR-Desk120: This group was identical to the ‘VR-Desk60’ group; however, they received two minutes of exposure to the virtual environment.
VR-Immersive60: This group was given one minute of exposure to the same virtual maze, however they experienced it with a head-mounted display and a six degree of freedom tracker. These subjects also could control their motion and gaze with the joystick.
VR-Immersive120: This group was identical to the ‘VR-Immersive60’ group; however, they were allowed two minutes of exposure time to the virtual maze.
All of the subjects in the VR conditions had been given instruction and
training in how to use the input devices
efficiently. A virtual practice
world was used in which the elements of navigation with the joystick (and tracker)
were trained and practiced. VR subjects were trained for a total of 30
minutes in this practice world.
After encountering the maze in one of these ways, subjects were
blindfolded and asked to touch each radio in order as
quickly as possible. As each subject went through the maze, the
experimenter, in addition to timing them, counted how
many times the subject touched the walls of the maze. Subjects were scored
on how quickly they were able to go
through the maze, and one second was added to their time for each instance
on which they touched a wall.
After having successfully gone through the maze blindfolded, subjects
received additional exposure to it by the method
indicated by their experimental condition. The process of exposure to the
maze followed by a blindfolded walk-through
was repeated ten times.
After the eleventh exposure portion of the trial, the subject was given a
new task: to start at the end of the maze and
touch each radio in the opposite order that they had learned. The
experimenter recorded how long the subject took to
complete this task, as well as the number of times that the subject hit
the walls of the maze.
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