Research on Learning Effect of Vibrotactile Stimulation to the Head in Triangle Completion Task

Abstract

Path integration, which is one of the functions that support the self-localization ability of animals, has attracted attention in the field of brain science, and various experiments have been conducted by rodents. In the field of cognitive psychology, the ability of path integration in humans has been investigated for a long time. Information required for path integration is mainly provided from vestibular, kinesthetic, and optic flow. In recent years, sensory substitution and augmentation devices are developed and evaluated. This research aims to clarify the effects and its factors of externally sensory information on path integration from fragmentary accumulated experimental and theoretical findings by reviewing the papers on spatial learning. Based on the conclusions obtained from the review, this research examined the ability of path integration using triangle completion task, which is traditional methods used in cognitive psychology. Participants point out the direction of the starting point after moving and were taught the error using vibrotactile stimulation to the head. The error in the short-term (during the experimental) and medium-term(one week later) was reduced.