Spatial Orientation

How do people know where in the world they are? How do they find their way about? These are the sort of questions about spatial orientation with which this book is concerned. Staying spatially oriented is a pervasive aspect of all be havior. Animals must find their way through their environ ment searching efficiently for food and returning to their home areas and many species have developed very sophisticated sensing apparatus for helping them do this. Even little children know their way around quite complex environments. They remember where they put things and are able to retrieve them with little trouble. Adults in societies across the world have developed complex navigational systems for help ing them find their way over long distances with few dis tinctive landmarks. People across the world use their langu ages to communicate about spatial orientation in problems of simple direction giving and spatial descriptions as well as problems of long range navigation.

SECTION I COMPARATIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS OF SPATIAL ORIENTATION.- 1. Spatial Orientation: A Comparative Approach.- Why a Comparative Approach.- Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 2. The Generation and Early Development of Spatial Inferences.- The Development of Inferential Spatial Judgments.- Conclusions.- References.- 3. Comparative and Developmental Approaches to Spatial Cognition.- Commentary.- References.- SECTION II SPATIAL ORIENTATION AND SPECIAL POPULATIONS.- 4. Procedures for Defining and Analyzing Cognitive Maps of the Mildly and Moderately Mentally Retarded.- References.- 5. Spatial Orientation in the Elderly: The Current Status of Understanding.- Perception.- Response Selection.- Epilogue.- References.- 6. Spatial Ability and the Limitations of Perceptual Systems.- Summary.- References.- 7. Spatial Orientation in Special Populations: The Mentally Retarded, The Blind, and The Elderly.- References.- SECTION III MAP READING AND SPATIAL COGNITION.- 8. Terrain Visualization and Map Reading.- Map Reading: The Applied Problem.- Summary.- References.- 9. Spatial Learning and Reasoning Skill.- Spatial Knowledge Representation.- Simulating Navigation Experience.- An Analysis of Cognitive Mapping Skill.- Individual Differences in Spatial Learning Strategies.- Conclusions.- References.- 10. Map Reading and Spatial Cognition: Discussion.- Commentary.- References.- SECTION IV LANGUAGE AND SPATIAL COGNITION.- 11. How Language Structures Space.- Basic Spatial Distinctions Made by Language.- Schematization in the Representation of Space.- References.- 12. Deixis and Spatial Orientation in Route Directions.- Some Prerequisites for the Analysis of Local Deixis.- References.- 13. Commentary on the Papers by Klein and Talmy.- References.- SECTION V SPATIAL COGNITION AND INFORMATION PROCESSING.- 14. Modelling the Creation of Cognitive Maps.- A Model of Cognitive Mapping.- Theoretical Implications.- Comparison with MDS.- Summary.- References.- 15. The Cognitive Map: Could It Have Been Any Other Way?.- Abstract.- The Cognitive Map.- Topological Relations.- Learning Routes from Observations.- Why Design the Cognitive Map?.- References.- 16. Concerning Cognitive Maps: Discussion of Baird and Kuipers.- References.- Author Index.