Are GPS systems like the Garmin and I-phone ruining our ability to navigate?
An article published in the nytimes would suggest so. Like
many people, I have become reliant on my I-phone maps, its simple directions
and tracking help me get everywhere. For someone with an already faulty sense
of direction, it really helps.
For Julia
Frankenstein, the over-reliance on simple tracking systems such as the Garmin
poses a big problem to our innate ability to navigate our surroundings. She
argues that unlike real-life navigation that involves determining landmarks and
larger spatial contexts, simple navigation systems cease to allow us to strengthen
cognitive maps that help us with innate navigation. She states that real-life navigation
provides a better spatial experience that can change brain structure for the
better. One example of this that is cited is the increase in grey matter in the
hippocampus seen in a study of London taxi cab drivers who must learn every
street in London before receiving their taxi license.
Does this mean we should all stop using our
I-phones?
However, I still remain uncertain as to whether the
use of virtual navigation would hinder our ability to be good navigators.
First of all, many of the studies testing human navigational
abilities are done using virtual navigation strategies (we cannot follow an
individual on their daily commute to work while using fMRI) making it hard to distinguish
a difference between the brain activity happening in real-life navigation scenarios vs. the use of
a GPS.
A recent fMRI study using virtual navigation also
found that not all humans navigate in the same way. 46% of subjects use spatial
memory (landmarks) the other 52% used non-spatial memory (distance). In the
study, the researchers saw different brain regions activated depending upon how
each participant chose to navigate the virtual maze (Spatial-Hippocampus
region. Distance-Caudate Nucleus). While
many navigation systems tend to omit landmarks that might be important for
certain people, distances are almost always included. It may be a possibility that whether or not
you should use a virtual navigational system depends more upon how you
naturally tend to navigate. Until there is more concrete evidence, I know I am going to continue using my I-phone maps.
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/is-gps-all-in-our-head.html?ref=memory&_r=0
Giuseppe, I. Petrides, M. Dagher, A. Pike, B. Iaria,
& Bohbot, V. Cognitive Strategies Dependent on the Hippocampus and Caudate
Nucleus in Human Navigation: Variability and Change with Practice. The Journal of Neuroscience, 23(13):5945–5952.
Derdikman, D. Moser, E. A manifold of spatial maps
in the brain. Trends in Cognitive
Sciences, 14(12): 561-569.
This reminds me a lot of the question of whether the use of cell phones decreases our memory's abilities, in particular our ability to remember phone numbers. For that case, I tend to agree that cell phones make us very lazy in regards to remembering phone numbers. Before I had a cell phone I remembered everyone's phone number but now the only phone number I remember is my mom's. However, I am not sure I would agree that using GPS decreases our ability to navigate. When I first started driving, I was terrible at figuring out what direction I was going in, and which streets cross where. For me, using the GPS helped me orient myself, and I learned where the different streets are faster than if I had not been using it. Maybe this does depend on how we navigate, spatial vs. distance. I tend to be more of a spatial navigator, so maybe the GPS helps me in the distance area, so I can orient myself better. I agree with you that until there is more evidence suggesting that GPS is bad for navigation I will also be using my AT&T Maps.
ReplyDeleteBased on my experiences, iPhone maps and other navigation systems don't help me remember where everything is on a map. Yet, since beginning to use Google maps and since I started driving, I have become much better at following directions. Verbal directions are not always easy to follow for some people. They require people to create a "virtual map" in their head in order to get to their destination. At the very least, they must remember the directions well enough to visualize and follow landmarks along their journey. Yet, written directions aren't always easy to follow either. Sometimes, the directions are vague, not descriptive enough, or based on subtle landmarks. This makes directions hard to follow. So, while navigation systems don't necessarily help us remember landmarks any more than normal, I'm sure that we can see increased brain activity in areas of the brain associated with spatial function and following directions - most likely dorsal processing streams.
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