Applications of Binocular Parallax Stereoscopic Displays for Tasks Involving Spatial Cognition in 3D Virtual Environments

2. Literature Review

3D virtual environments can approximate interaction which occurs in the real world by providing users fluid control inside a dynamic three dimensional space. The high visual fidelity inherent in 3D virtual environments affords the depiction of authentic virtual spaces where the behaviour of objects and their subsequent relationships with each other and the user can be faithfully represented whilst also fostering sensations of presence and immersion (Germanchis, Cartwright, & Pettit, 2005; Petridis et al., 2012; Sadowski & Stanney, 2002; Shiratuddin & Thabet, 2002). Given these affordances, 3D virtual environments are well suited to the representation of tasks that may involve movement, navigation, orientation, complex object manipulation, or decision making in three dimensional space (Graafland, Schraagen, & Schijven, 2012; Munro, Breaux, Patrey, & Sheldon, 2002). Undertaking these types of tasks relies on the development of a functioning spatial representation of an environment, which includes knowledge of objects and their locations and an understanding and encoding of the spatial relations that exist between them. Spatial concepts and spatial relations play a fundamental role in the cognitive structure at every level of representation, from the perception of objects to the perception of geometry (Olson & Bialystok, 1983).