Experimental Research in Urban Spatial Cognition by Using Virtual Reality Technology

This paper presents a VR experiment investigating how people construct the cognitive map in mind, generate spatial memory and respond when exploring the urban environment. 76 participants were recruited to explore the virtual town of Xidi. By analyzing the traces of the participants and the data of subjective feedbacks, the research examines how the space affects people generating spatial memory and producing the corresponding behavior pattern during the exploration. Furthermore, the interaction mechanism between the urban evolution and human behavior is investigated by comparing the participants’ behavior trajectory and the real town spatial structure. Results from this research shed light on the future use of VR technology as an efficient tool in cognitive urban research.