A Multiple Resource Examination of Time Sharing Performance for Egocentric and Allocentric Frames of Reference

Abstract

Egocentric and allocentric frames of reference (FoR) can both be used in navigation aids, but each has benefits and drawbacks. Incorporating both FoR could be beneficial for offsetting the drawbacks of each viewpoint, but research on the timesharing ability of these FoR is lacking. The current study investigated whether FoR ought to be regarded as separate pools of cognitive resources under the framework of the Multiple Resource Model (MRM). In a dual task paradigm, results indicated that performance improved when both tasks used the same frame of reference. Such findings imply frames of reference are not separate pools in a multiple resources sense. Improved performance may be a result of task similarity, which can improve performance according to the shared processing routines hypothesis. Implications are discussed, including those for navigation aid design.