Mental Representations of Impossible Non-Euclidean Environments
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21532924 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew S McAvan (0000-0002-1253-884X, Vanderbilt University), Timothy P Mcnamara (0000-0002-0441-7263, Vanderbilt University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 90 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0340-0727 • E-ISSN: 1430-2772 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s00426-026-02297-3 |
| PMID | 42126438 |
| OpenAlex | W7161059453 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 38 |
Esher's Relativity (1953), videogames like the Portal series (2007 & 2011), and the long-running television series Dr. Who (1963-present) all exemplify some form of manipulation that violates Euclidean geometry.However, research on how humans represent navigational spaces containing these manipulations is in its early stages (e.g., Warren et al., 2017).We use the term "non-Euclidean" to refer to spaces that produce inconsistencies with the local spaces of human experience and navigation.These spaces may violate one or more axioms of Euclidean geometry (e.g., spherical spaces) or may be impossible to experience directly (e.g., a 4-dimensional environment).Research on spatial learning and navigation in non-Euclidean environments is important because it may be informative about the nature of spatial representations in the brain and whether those representations are better characterized as cognitive maps (e.g
Perception · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Spatial Cognition and Navigation
| Highly cited | No |
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