Spatial Cognition, Spatial Perception: Mapping the Self and Space

Description

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.

Francine L. Dolins is a Comparative Psychologist focusing on the spatial cognitive abilities of non-human and human primates in the field and laboratory, examining use of landmarks in large- and small-scale space and in simple and complex environments. Francine Dolins has related interests and publications in animal welfare, captive environmental enrichment, and conservation education, including an edited volume on societal attitudes to animals, and is currently guest editing a special issue of The American Journal of Primatology on conservation education. Her education was at the University's of Sussex and Stirling in the United Kingdom, and is currently employed at the University of Michigan. Robert W. Mitchell has engaged in laboratory studies of cognition in primates, cetaceans, and canids, including human interactions with these animals, and is currently studying play and other social behavior in Galapagos sea lions. His graduate education was at the University of Hawai'i and Clark University, and he is currently Foundation Professor of Psychology at Eastern Kentucky University. He has edited books on various forms of animal and human cognition, including deception, pretense, self-awareness and anthropomorphism, and is on the boards of editors of the Journal of Comparative Psychology and Society and Animals.

"A strength of this work, though, is its interdisciplinary focus. It approaches the topics from multiple theoretical orientations and methodologies. These include philosophy, history, evolution, anthropology, comparative psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Investigators from each of these fields will find something of interest here. Spatial Cognition, Spatial Perception is worth getting and is a must read for any researcher in either of these areas. Due to its breadth of coverage, it serves more as a reference guide than as a single-themed or specialty area book, but any topic can be looked up in the index and compared across chapters if necessary." Jay Friedenberg, PsycCRITIQUES