Abstract
The process of mentally integrating separate regions of a layout into a unified representation is a critical component in generating inferred spatial information. Blindfolded subjects learned two different paths by tactual exploration. The subjects were then given information that permitted them to integrate the two cognitive maps of the paths into one map. In Experiment I, the speed and accuracy of originally learned and inferred movements within a path were equivalent, whereas inferred movements between the two paths were significantly slower and less accurate. In Experiment 2, the subjects could request additional training on the paths before they were given the integration information, and they also rated how well they knew the path on which they were tested. When the subjects judged that they remembered all or most of the path information, movements between two paths and within one path were performed with the same accuracy. The equivalent accuracy of all the movements suggests that cognitive integration can generate an accurate representation of an integrated layout when the path information is recalled.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Reference Note
Shemyakin, F. N. Orientation in space. In B. G. Ananyev, G. S. Kostyuk, A. N. Leontyev, A. R. Luria, M. A. Menchinskaya, S. L. Rubinshteyn, A. A. Smirnov, B. M. Teplov, & F. N. Shemyakin (Eds.),Psychological science in the USSR (Vol. 1) (Tech. Rep. 11466, Pt. 1). Washington, D.C: U.S. Office of Technical Reports, 1962.
References
Appleyard, D. Styles and methods of structuring a city.Environment and Behavior, 1970,2, 100–118.
Chase, W. G., &Chi, M. T. H. Cognitive skill: Implications for spatial skill in large-scale environments. In J. Harvey (Ed.),Cognition, social behavior and the environment. Potomac, MD: Erlbaum, 1980.
Downs, R. M. Maps and mapping as metaphors for spatial representation. In L. S. Liben, A. H. Patterson, & N. Newcombe (Eds.),Spatial representation and behavior across the life span: Theory and application. New York: Academic Press, 1981.
Downs, R. N., &Stea, D.Image and environment: Cognitive mapping and spatial behavior. Chicago: Aldine, 1973.
Levine, M., Jankovic, I. N., &Palij, M. Principles of spatial problem solving.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1982,111, 157–175.
Lynch, K.The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass: M.I.T. Press, 1960.
Moar, I., &Caeleton, L. R. Memory for routes.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1982,34A, 381–394.
Myers, J. L.Fundamentals of experimental design (3rd edition). Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1979.
Siegel, A. W. The externalization of cognitive maps by children and adults: In search of ways to ask better questions. In L. S. Liben, A. H. Patterson, & N. Newcombe (Eds.),Spatial representation and behavior across the life span: Theory and application. New York: Academic Press, 1981.
Siegel, A. W., Kirasic, K. C., &Kail, R. V. Stalking the elusive cognitive map: The development of children’s representations of geographic space. In J. F. Wohlwill & I. Altman (Eds.),Human behavior and environment (Vol. 3). New York: Plenum, 1978.
Siegel, A. W., &White, W. H. The development of spatial representations of large-scale environments. In H. W. Reese (Ed.),Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 10). New York: Academic Press, 1975.
Tolman, E. C. Cognitive maps in rats and men.Psychological Review, 1948,55, 189–208.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Support for the research described here was provided by National Science Foundation Grant BNS78-24716, awarded to the second author, and by research grants-in-aid from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, awarded to the first author. Portions of this article were presented at the annual meetings of the Eastern Psychological Association, April 1980.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hanley, G.L., Levine, M. Spatial problem solving: The integration of independently learned cognitive maps. Mem Cogn 11, 415–422 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202457
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03202457