  Virtual Reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs) have been studied widely as
tools for the most diverse kinds of training activities. One special kind that
is the basis for many real-world applications is spatial knowledge acquisition
and navigation. For example, knowing well by heart escape routes can be an
important factor for firefighters and soldiers. Prior research on how well
knowledge acquired in virtual worlds translates to real, physical one has had
mixed results, with some suggesting spatial learning in VR is akin to using a
regular 2D display. However, VR HMDs have evolved drastically in the last
decade, and little is known about how spatial training skills in a simulated
environment using up-to-date VR HMDs compares to training in the real world. In
this paper, we aim to investigate how people trained in a VR maze compare
against those trained in a physical maze in terms of recall of the position of
items inside the environment. While our results did not find significant
differences in time performance for people who experienced the physical and
those who trained in VR, other behavioural factors were different.
