Cognitive map

Cognitive map


Cognitive maps (also known as mental maps, mind maps, cognitive models, or mental models) are a type of mental processing composed of a series of psychological transformations by which an individual can acquire, code, store, recall, and decode information about the relative locations and attributes of phenomena in their everyday or metaphorical spatial environment.

The credit for the creation of this term is given to Edward Tolman.[1] Cognitive maps have been studied in various fields, such as psychology, education, archaeology, planning, geography, cartography, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, management and conspiracy theories[2]. As a consequence, these mental models are often referred to, variously, as cognitive maps, mental maps, scripts, schemata, and frames of reference.

Putting it into simpler terms, cognitive maps are a method we use to construct and accumulate spatial knowledge, allowing the "mind's eye" to visualize images in order to reduce cognitive load, enhance recall and learning of information. This type of spatial thinking can also be used as a metaphor for non-spatial tasks, where people performing non-spatial tasks involving memory and imaging use spatial knowledge to aid in processing the task.[3] The oldest known formal method of using spatial locations to remember data is the "method of loci". This method was originally used by students of rhetoric in ancient Rome when memorizing speeches. To use it one must first memorize the appearance of a physical location (for example, the sequence of rooms in a building). When a list of words, for example, needs to be memorized, the learner visualizes an object representing that word in one of the pre-memorized locations. To recall the list, the learner mentally "walks through" the memorized locations, noticing the objects placed there during the memorization phase.[4]

The neural correlates of a cognitive map have been speculated to be the place cell system in the hippocampus[5] and the recently discovered grid cells in the entorhinal cortex.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Tolman E.C. (July 1948). "Cognitive maps in rats and men". Psychological Review 55 (4): 189–208. doi:10.1037/h0061626. PMID 18870876. 
  2. ^ Knight, Peter (2002). Conspiracy Nation: the Politics of Paranoia in Postwar America. New York and London: New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-4735-3. 
  3. ^ Kitchin RM (1994). "Cognitive Maps: What Are They and Why Study Them?". Journal of Environmental Psychology 14 (1): 1–19. doi:10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80194-X. 
  4. ^ Downs, Roger; Stea, David (1973). Image and Environment: Cognitive Mapping and Spatial Behavior. Edward Arnold. ISBN 978-0202307664. OCLC 7690182. 
  5. ^ O'Keefe J, Nadel L (1978). The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map. http://www.cognitivemap.net/. 
  6. ^ Sargolini F, Fyhn M, Hafting T, McNaughton BL, Witter MP, Moser MB, Moser EI (May 2006). "Conjunctive representation of position, direction, and velocity in entorhinal cortex". Science 312 (5774): 758–62. Bibcode 2006Sci...312..758S. doi:10.1126/science.1125572. PMID 16675704. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • cognitive map — noun (psychology) A mental map of one s physical environment • • • Main Entry: ↑cognition …   Useful english dictionary

  • cognitive map — /ˈkɒgnətɪv mæp/ (say kognuhtiv map) noun a mental map of one s physical environment. Also, mind map …  

  • Fuzzy cognitive map — A Fuzzy cognitive map is a cognitive map within which the relations between the elements (e.g. concepts, events, project resources) of a mental landscape can be used to compute the strength of impact of these elements. The theory behind that… …   Wikipedia

  • Fuzzy Cognitive Map — Assoziogramm über sich selbst (Mindmap) Ein Assoziogramm, auch Gedächtniskarte, Gedankenkarte oder Mindmap bzw. Mind Map (von engl.: mind map) genannt, ist eine besonders von Tony Buzan geprägte grafische Darstellung, die Beziehungen zwischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Cognitive space — uses the analogy of location in two, three or higher dimensional space to describe and categorize thoughts, memories and ideas. Each individual has his/her cognitive space, resulting in a unique categorization of their ideas. The dimensions of… …   Wikipedia

  • Cognitive archaeology — is a sub discipline of archaeology which focuses on the ways that ancient societies thought and the symbolic structures that can be perceived in past material culture. Cognitive archaeologists often study the role that ideology and differing… …   Wikipedia

  • Cognitive model — A cognitive model is an approximation to animal cognitive processes (predominantly human) for the purposes of comprehension and prediction. Cognitive models can be developed within or without a cognitive architecture, though the two are not… …   Wikipedia

  • Cognitive Emotional Pedagogy — (CEP) is a method of teaching and learning based on cognitive psychology and constructivist learning theory which claims that construction and retention of new concepts and skills is most effective if the learning content is associated with… …   Wikipedia

  • Map symbolization — Examples of possible symbols for use on maps for the National Park Service. Map Symbolization is the characters, letters, or similar graphic representations used on a map to indicate an object or characteristic in the real world. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Cognitive science — Figure illustrating the fields that contributed to the birth of cognitive science, including linguistics, education, neuroscience, artificial Intelligence, philosophy, anthropology, and psychology. Adapted from Miller, George A (2003). The… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”