The Construction of Cognitive Maps: An Introduction

Abstract

The aim of this book is to shed light on processes associated with the construction of cognitive maps, that is to say, with the construction of internal representations of very large spatial entities such as towns, cities, neighborhoods, landscapes, metropolitan areas, environments and the like. Because of their size, such entities can never be seen in their entirety, and consequently one constructs their internal representation by means of visual, as well as non-visual, modes of sensation and information: text; auditory, haptic and olfactory means for example, or by inference. Intersensory coordination and information-transfer thus play a crucial role in the construction of cognitive maps.