This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference, Spatial Cognition 2020, held in Riga, Latvia, in September 2020. The physical event was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 19 full papers and 6 short papers presented in this book were carefully selected and reviewed from 50 submissions. They focus on the following topics: spatial representation and cognitive maps; navigation and wayfinding; spatial representation in language, logic, and narrative; and spatial abilities and learning.

The relationships between perception and imagery, imagery and spatial processes, memory and action: These are the main themes of this text The interest of experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience on imagery and spatial cognition is remarkably increased in the last decades. Different areas of research contribute to the clarification of the multiple cognitive processes subserving spatial perception and exploration, and to the definition of the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning these cognitive functions. The aim of this book is to provide the reader (post-graduate students as well as experts) with a complete overview of this field of research. It illustrates the way how brain, behaviour and cognition interact in normal and pathological subjects in perceiving, representing and exploring space. (Series B).

The ?Cognitive Map? (Tolman, 1948) is a key notion in spatial processing studies. It refers to high level spatial representations. Although widely used, this term remains ambiguous. The aim of this book is two-fold: (1) to examine the most noteworthy studies (in laboratory settings) which have contributed during the last five decades to a better understanding of animal spatial representations; (2) to provide some hints for future research.Spatial tests designed by psychologists are useful tools for understanding the brain substrates of spatial memory. Conversely, brain treatments allow us to analyse the complex psychological mechanisms underlying spatial orientation. Within this interdisciplinary context, it is extremely important to take stock of a notion used (and sometimes misused) in cognitive neurosciences.

The relationships between perception and imagery, imagery and spatial processes, memory and action: these are the main themes of this text. The interest in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience on imagery and spatial cognition has remarkably increased in the last decades. Different areas of research contribute to the clarification of the multiple cognitive processes subserving spatial perception and exploration, and to the definition of the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning these cognitive functions. The aim of this book is to provide the reader (post-graduate students as well as experts) with a complete overview of this field of research. It illustrates how brain, behaviour and cognition interact in normal and pathological subjects in perceiving, representing and exploring space.(Series B)

Spatial Cognition brings together psychology, computer science, linguistics and geography, discussing how people think about space (our internal cognitive maps and spatial perception) and how we communicate about space, for instance giving route directions or using spatial metaphors. The technological applications adding dynamism to the area include computer interfaces, educational software, multimedia, and in-car navigation systems. On the experimental level, themes as varied as gender differences in orientation and — of course, wholly unrelated — the role of the hippocampus in rodent navigation are described. Much detailed analysis and computational modeling of the structure of short term memory (STM) is discussed. The papers were presented at the 1998 annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society of Ireland, Mind III. (Series B)

This book offers students an introduction to human spatial cognition and experience and is designed for graduate and advanced undergraduate students who are interested in the study of maps in the head and the psychology of space. We live in space and space surrounds us. We interact with space all the time, consciously or unconsciously, and make decisions and actions based on our perceptions of that space. Have you ever wondered how some people navigate perfectly using maps in their heads while other people get lost even with a physical map? What do you mean when you say you have a poor "sense of direction"? How do we know where we are? How do we use and represent information about space? This book clarifies that our knowledge and feelings emerge as a consequence of our interactions with the surrounding space, and show that the knowledge and feelings direct, guide, or limit our spatial behavior and experience. Space matters, or more specifically space we perceive matters. Research into spatial cognition and experience, asking fundamental questions about how and why space and spatiality matters to humans, has thus attracted attention. It is no coincidence that the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for research into a positioning system in the brain or "inner GPS" and that spatial information and technology are recognized as an important social infrastructure in recent years. This is the first book aimed at graduate and advanced undergraduate students pursuing this fascinating area of research. The content introduces the reader to the field of spatial cognition and experience with a series of chapters covering theoretical, empirical, and practical issues, including cognitive maps, spatial orientation, spatial ability and thinking, geospatial information, navigation assistance, and environmental aesthetics.

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Spatial Cognition, Spatial Cognition 2014, held in Bremen, Germany, in September 2014. The 27 revised full papers presented in this book were carefully selected and reviewed from 53 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on spatial memory; language and communication; wayfinding and navigation; computational models; diagrams and maps; technical approaches; and spatial ability.