Spatial Cognition, Spatial Perception: Mapping the Self and Space

Dr. Francine Dolins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Michigan at Dearborn, is the co-editor of a new collection of works exploring spatial cognition, with an emphasis on human and non-human primates.
Spatial Cognition, Spatial Perception: Mapping the Self and Space

"How does knowledge of the body in space relate to an understanding of space itself? Spatial cognition is discussed from two closely related perspectives: the internal mapping of external stimuli (e.g., landmarks and sensory perception of environmental information) and the internal mapping of internally perceived stimuli (e.g., kinesthetic and visual imagery), and their subsequent effects on behaviour. Clarification of what spatial information is present in most perceptual processes and how this is used cognitively in relation to the self in space is then established. Major points and controversies of the various models are discussed, along with evolutionary perspectives of spatial perception and object recognition and comparisons between human and non-human spatial cognitive abilities and behaviours. Written for postgraduate students and researchers, the authors present theoretical and experimental accounts at multiple levels of analysis - perceptual, behavioural and cognitive - providing a thorough review of the mechanisms of spatial cognition."