When Goals Constrain: Eye Movements and Memory for Goal-Oriented Map Study

Perspective goals, such as studying a map to learn a route through an environment or the overall layout of an environment, produce memory congruent with the goal-directed rather than the studied perspective. One explanation for this finding is that perspective goals guide attention towards actively gathering relevant information during learning. A second explanation is that information is automatically organized into a goal-congruent spatial model that guides retrieval. Both explanations predict goal-congruent memory, but only the former one predicts eye movement differences during study. The present experiment investigated the effect of perspective goals on eye movement during map study and the flexibility of resulting spatial memories. Results demonstrate eye movements towards goal-congruent map elements during learning, and lasting memory effects at test. These findings carry implications for the design of adaptive hand-held and in-vehicle navigation interfaces that accommodate for varied user goals. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.