Cognitive map
Cognitive Map
A Cognitive Map (pronunciation: /ˈkɒgnɪtɪv mæp/) is a type of mental representation which serves an individual to acquire, code, store, recall, and decode information about the relative locations and attributes of phenomena in their everyday or metaphorical spatial environment.
Etymology
The term "Cognitive Map" was coined by Edward Tolman in 1948. The word "cognitive" comes from the Latin cognitio, meaning "knowledge", and "map" from the Old English mæppe, meaning "sheet, cloth".
Definition
Cognitive maps are mental representations of physical locations, helping an individual to navigate an unfamiliar environment. They allow individuals to visualize images to help them orient themselves in space, understand their surroundings, and plan routes or strategies.
Related Terms
- Spatial Navigation: The evolved, embodied capability of animals, including humans, to locate themselves and their goals, plan and follow routes, and shortcut between previously visited places without landmarks.
- Mental Rotation: The ability to rotate mental representations of two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects as it is related to the visual representation of such rotation within the human mind.
- Topographic Memory: The ability to remember the physical layout of an environment.
- Neuroplasticity: The ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization.
- Place Cells: Neurons in the hippocampus that represent a specific place in space, known as the place field.
See Also
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