Welcome to the repository for the paper "Formation of allocentric representations after exposure to a novel, naturalistic, city-like, virtual reality environment" (also nicknamed the NPRL "CogMap Paper").
The project examines how individuals develop allocentric (i.e., world-centered) spatial representations after exploring a novel, virtual reality, city-like environment.
This repository contains all analysis code, figures, and statistical tests associated with this study.
📌 Note on Code Versions
This repository is a frozen snapshot of the code used to produce the results in the published paper, preserved for reproducibility. For the latest version of the analysis code (with bug fixes, improvements, and extensions), see the active development repository for NavCity data analysis.
All data for this paper can be found on the associated CogMap OSF Project.
Below is an explanation of the folder structure in this repository. Feel free to reach out to the Neural Plasticity Research Lab via our website or contact Yasmine Bassil at [email protected] with any questions.
Bassil, Y., Kanukolanu, A., Funderburg, E., Brown, T., & Borich, M. R. (2026). Formation of allocentric representations after exposure to a novel, naturalistic, city-like, virtual reality environment. Neuropsychologia, 220, 109290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109290
Authors: Yasmine Bassil, Anisha Kanukolanu, Emma Funderburg, Thackery Brown, Michael R. Borich
Affiliation: Neural Plasticity Research Lab, Emory University
Contact: Dr. Michael Borich, PhD, DPT, PT ([email protected])
Lab Website: npresearchlab.com
This repository provides complete reproducibility materials for our study examining the formation of allocentric (i.e., world-centered) spatial representations following exposure to a novel, naturalistic, city-like virtual reality environment (NavCity). The study investigates how individuals develop cognitive maps and acquire spatial knowledge through immersive navigation training in an ecologically valid virtual environment.
Key Features:
- Complete analysis pipeline from raw data to final figures
- Statistical analysis scripts
- Publication-ready figures
CogMap-Paper/
│
├── data_analysis/ # Data processing and analysis scripts
│ ├── 0_runall.ipynb # Master script to process all raw data
│ ├── 1_calculate_outcomes.ipynb # Calculates outcome measures from raw NavCity data
│ ├── 2_merge_data.ipynb # Merges outcome measures per block per participant
│ ├── 3_average_data.ipynb # Averages outcome measures over blocks per participant
│ ├── 4_target_data.ipynb # Creates dataframes for target paths per block
│ ├── 5_graph_data.ipynb # Generates overhead path map visualizations
│ └── 6_distance_calc.ipynb # Calculates distance-based navigation metrics
│
├── figure_creation/ # Scripts to generate manuscript figures
│ └── plots/ # Generated figure outputs
│
├── stat_tests/ # Statistical analysis scripts
│ ├── fig3_4_5_stats.Rmd # Statistical tests for Figures 3, 4, and 5
│ ├── fig6_stats.Rmd # Statistical tests for Figure 6
│ ├── fig7_stats.Rmd # Statistical tests for Figure 7
│ ├── nara_stats.Rmd # NARA task correlation analyses
│ ├── updated demographic stats ANOVA.Rmd # Demographic and group comparisons
│ ├── combined_anova_data.csv # Processed data for ANOVA analyses
│ ├── combined_block_data.csv # Block-level performance data
│ ├── combined_blocktarget_data.csv # Block and target-level data
│ ├── combined_target_data.csv # Target-level performance data
│ ├── b3b1_nara_corr_data.csv # NARA correlation dataset
│ ├── plots/ # Statistical visualization outputs
│ ├── raw_results/ # Raw statistical output files
│ └── summary/ # Summary statistics and tables
│
├── writing/ # Manuscript drafts and supplementary materials
│
├── .gitignore # Git ignore configuration
└── README.md # Repository documentation
All data for this paper can be found on the associated CogMap OSF Project.
Contains scripts for processing and analyzing raw data from the NavCity task and other behavioral measures. These scripts generate the outcome variables and performance metrics used in the main analyses.
0_runall.ipynb: Master orchestration script- Runs all analysis scripts (labeled 1 through 6) in sequence
- Processes raw NavCity data files
- Generates block-specific and session-averaged metrics
- Outputs cleaned datasets for statistical analysis
- Line 5: Set your local data directory for your data
- Line 6: Set your local data directory for your code (scripts 0 through 6)
Outputs from analysis scripts will be located in the parent directory of the YA data and OA data, respectively.
To Run the Complete Pipeline:
- Clone this repository
- Install required packages (see Requirements)
- Update file paths in
0_runall.ipynb - Run all cells in
0_runall.ipynb
Contains all scripts used to generate the main figures that appear in the published paper. Each script corresponds to a specific figure and produces publication-ready visualizations.
Contains scripts for all statistical tests reported in the paper, including:
- Running models
- Comparing outputs
- Post-hoc analyses
- Statistical validations
This directory contains publication-ready figures in high-resolution formats (PNG, PDF, SVG).
All figures follow journal specifications:
- 300+ DPI resolution
- Colorblind-friendly palettes
- Clear axis labels and legends
For the NavCity Toolkit (including task source code, executable files, and implementation details), please visit:
If you use this code or data in your research, please cite:
Bassil, Y., Kanukolanu, A., Funderburg, E., Brown, T., & Borich, M. R. (2026). Formation of allocentric representations after exposure to a novel, naturalistic, city-like, virtual reality environment. Neuropsychologia, 220, 109290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109290
Data: CC BY 4.0 - Data are freely available with attribution
Code: MIT License - Code is freely available for reuse and modification
We welcome questions, bug reports, and suggestions for improvements. Please:
- Check existing Issues
- Open a new issue with detailed description
- For data questions, contact Dr. Michael Borich at mborich [at] emory.edu
This research was supported by [funding sources]. We thank all study participants and the research team members who contributed to data collection and analysis.
- Lab Website: npresearchlab.com
- Preprint: CogMap Preprint
- OSF Project: OSF Data Repository
Last Updated: December 2025
Repository Maintainer: Yasmine Bassil, Neuroscience PhD Candidate, Neural Plasticity Research Lab, Emory University