Task-dependent sketch maps

ABSTRACT Sketch maps are considered a reliable method for assessing spatial knowledge. However, it is unknown whether all information types in sketch maps are reconstructed with similar accuracy under differing task instructions. Here, we show that the dominant information type and metric accuracy of sketches of a single environment drawn by the same person change across drawing tasks. Results are in line with the situated nature of spatial cognition: participants produce different types of maps, and different recall errors, depending on the task at hand. Understanding variation in measures of sketch maps is critical for designing standardized and automated methods of sketch map analysis.