Processing characteristics of visuospatial working memory in map cognition by orienteering athletes: evidence from behavioral and EEG studies

Through maps, the objects on the Earth’s surface are abstracted and represented on a plane, achieving the integration of physical entities and conceptual representations, thereby facilitating individuals’ rapid understanding and profound cognition of their surroundings. As a system for the storing and processing of visual and spatial information, visuospatial working memory (VSWM) provides individuals with the capacity to temporarily store and process map-related information within a spatial framework. To explore the temporal features of storing and retrieving in VSWM during map-related tasks among orienteers with varying skill levels, 22 orienteers were enrolled in the expert group, while 22 members from orienteering training teams were placed in the novice group. Employing electroencephalography (EEG) technology, this study developed a set of VSWM tasks to examine behavioral performance variations and EEG characteristics between experts and novices. The results revealed that experts exhibited enhanced rationality and superior response efficiency during the map cognition task relative to novices. Neurophysiological evidence further indicated distinct neural resource management patterns in experts, characterized by reduced θ neural oscillations in the frontal regions coupled with enhanced α oscillations in both the frontal and temporal lobes. The empirical outcomes confirm competitive advantages in expert athletes’ map processing, response speed, and optimized neural resource allocation. These findings not only deepen insights into the neural mechanisms underlying orienteers’ map cognition, but also provide strong theoretical support for orienteering training practices.