Age-Related Changes in a Human Cognitive Mapping System: Data from a Computer-Generated Environment

Two studies investigated age-related changes in human spatial cognition. In Study 1, younger and older adults searched computer-generated space, over several trials, for the location of a hidden target. Younger adults, but not older adults, quickly located the target and consistently returned to it. All the younger adults, but few of the older adults, reported using spatial relations among distal cues to navigate the space. In Study 2, young,...