Contextual Uncertainty Shifts Coordinate Frame Selection in Spatial Working Memory

Contextual uncertainty during memory encoding significantly alters coordinate frame selection in spatial working memory, prompting a preferential reliance on Cartesian coordinate features. According to findings published in Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics by researchers Yugang Cai, Wei Chen, and Xiaowei Ding, the stability of spatial representation formats depends directly on the phase in which environmental reliability is disrupted.

In cognitive research, the format of spatial representation remains a fundamental issue. Earlier investigations demonstrated that blank and grid environments selectively induce polar and Cartesian coordinate patterns, respectively. However, those earlier conclusions relied largely on reliable blocked designs, which left open the question of whether such spatial representational formats remain stable when individuals confront environmental uncertainty.

To investigate this question, the researchers used a spatial location reproduction paradigm and applied error correlation analysis to infer underlying coordinate signatures. They manipulated contextual reliability across blank and grid environments in two separate experiments, introducing uncertainty during either the retrieval phase or the encoding phase. In Experiment 1, when uncertainty was introduced at retrieval during the response phase, polar-consistent error patterns remained relatively preserved under blank encoding.

In Experiment 2, introducing uncertainty during the encoding phase produced marked representational shifts. This encoding-phase uncertainty significantly reduced the difference between polar and Cartesian error patterns across conditions while driving a preferential reliance on Cartesian coordinate features. Evaluated within the error-correlation framework, the experiments demonstrate that contextual uncertainty alters frame selection and Cartesian signature expression while leaving polar signatures robust under reliable encoding conditions. The authors made their data and analysis code accessible via the Open Science Framework and noted that neither experiment was preregistered.

Subject of Research: Coordinate frame selection in spatial working memory under environmental uncertainty

Article Title: Reliability shapes coordinate frame selection in spatial working memory

Article References: Cai, Y., Chen, W., & Ding, X. (2026). Reliability shapes coordinate frame selection in spatial working memory. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 88(8), Article 222. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-026-03372-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3758/s13414-026-03372-y

Keywords: spatial working memory, coordinate frames, environmental uncertainty, polar coordinates, Cartesian coordinates, error correlation analysis, spatial representation, cognitive research, Reliability, shapes, coordinate, frame