Work

Cognitive Maps: Some People Make Them, Some People Struggle

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: The proposal that humans can develop cognitive maps of their environment has a long and controversial history. We suggest an individual-differences approach to this question instead of a normative one. Specifically, there is evidence that some people derive flexible map-like representations from information acquired during navigation whereas others store much less accurate information. Our research uses a virtual-reality paradigm in which two routes are learned and must be related to each other. It defines 3 groups: Integrators, Non-integrators, and Imprecise Navigators. These groups show distinctive patterns of spatial skills and working memory, as well as personality. We contrast our approach with research challenging the cognitive map hypothesis, and offer directions for rapprochement between the two views.

Source: Current Directions in Psychological Science

DOI: 10.1177/0963721417744521

Authors: Steven M. Weisberg, Nora S. Newcombe

Institutions: University of Pennsylvania, Temple University

Language: English

Topic: Spatial Cognition and Navigation

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Awards: Neural representations of spatial directions in language, schemas, and images, Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC)