GPS 'Switches Off' Parts of Brain Used For Navigation
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Invasor
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PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 06:59    Post subject: GPS 'Switches Off' Parts of Brain Used For Navigation
Quote:
A new study published today in the journal Nature Communications reveals some of the drawbacks of using satellite navigation (SatNav) technology. After scanning the brains of 24 volunteers as they explored a simulation through the streets of London's Soho district, researchers from the University of London found that listening to a satellite navigation's instructions "switches off" activity in parts of the brain used for navigation. Scientific American reports:
The researchers found that a brain structure called the hippocampus, which is involved in both memory and spatial navigation, appears to encode two different maps of the environment: One tracks the distance to the final destination as the crow flies and is encoded by the frontal region of the hippocampus, the other tracks the "true path" to the goal and is encoded by its rear region. During the navigation tasks, the hippocampus acts like a flexible guidance system, flipping between these two maps according to changing demands. Activity in the hippocampal rear region acts like a homing signal, increasing as the goal gets closer. Analysis of the brain-scanning data revealed activity in the rear right of the hippocampus increased whenever the participants entered a new street while navigating. It also varied with the number of new path options available. The more alternatives there were, the greater the brain activity. The researchers also found that activity in the front of the hippocampus was associated with a property called centrality, defined by the proximity of each new street to the center of the network. Further, they observed activity in the participants' prefrontal cortices when they were forced to make a detour and had to replan their route -- and this, too, increased in relation to the number of options available. Intriguingly, when participants followed SatNav instructions, however, brain activity in these regions "switched off." Together, the new findings suggest the rear portion of the hippocampus reactivates spatial memories of possible navigation paths, with more available paths evoking more activity, and that the prefrontal cortex may contribute to path-planning by searching though different route options and selecting the best one.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-brain-takes-a-guided-tour-of-london/

I fucking knew it Crying or Very sad
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Wubbajack




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PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 08:46    Post subject:
I'm guessing it's the same way with gamers too used to arrows/markers pointing at the next objective (Oblivion, Skyrim, F3, F4) instead of using a static map (Gothic? Smile).
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m3th0d2008




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PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 09:15    Post subject:
Well, no shit. I'm glad we have scientists to figure that out Laughing


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WaldoJ
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PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 16:21    Post subject:
m3th0d2008 wrote:
Well, no shit. I'm glad we have scientists to figure that out Laughing


Well theories need to be proven so you don't sound like an asshole when you state the obvious. Calculators made us forget basic math. Spellchecks made us forget basic spelling. Gaming stops us from socializing.


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Janz




Posts: 14000

PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 16:28    Post subject:
nothing new, there were and are always dumb people following navigation instructions ending up stuck on a field or even in a river cause the "road" was a ferry
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Invasor
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Posts: 7638
Location: On the road
PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 17:22    Post subject:
Janz wrote:
nothing new, there were and are always dumb people following navigation instructions ending up stuck on a field or even in a river cause the "road" was a ferry

well that's a different case, the whole brain is switched off and not just the navigation part Laughing
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red_avatar




Posts: 4567

PostPosted: Wed, 22nd Mar 2017 21:17    Post subject:
Wubbajack wrote:
I'm guessing it's the same way with gamers too used to arrows/markers pointing at the next objective (Oblivion, Skyrim, F3, F4) instead of using a static map (Gothic? Smile).


Not only that, these on-screen hints and crap make players move as if on auto-pilot meaning they won't take in the surroundings. An auto-map has a similar problem - it makes you spend too much time looking at it, instead of the actual game. That's why I like it when games make you go to a separate map screen.
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