This major study of animal orientation in space launches the Princeton Series in Neurobiology and Behavior. Bringing together for the first time the important work done on spatial orientation over the past twenty-five years, and reviewing research up to and including recent attempts to apply the methods of cybernetics, Hermann Schone discusses the most significant concepts in the control of position and movement in space. Originally published in 1984. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, La-Baume-les-Aix (Aix-en-Provence), France, June 27-July 7, 1985

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.

These volumes represent the proceedings of NATO Advanced Study Institute on the topic of "Cognitive Processes and Spatial Orientation in Animal and Man" held at La-Baume-les-Aix, Aix-en-Provence, France, in June-July 1985. The motivation underlying this Institute stemmed from the recent advances and interest in the problems of spatial behavior. In Psychology, traditional S-R concepts were found to be unsatisfactorY for fully accounting for the complexity of spatial behavior. Coupled with the decline in such an approach, has been a resurgence of interest in cognitive types of concepts. In Ethology, investigators have begun to use more sophisticated methods for the study of homing and navigational behaviors. In the general area of Neuroscience, marked advances have been achieved in the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying spatial behaviors. And finally, there has been a burgeoning interest and body of knowledge concerning the development of spatial behavior in humans. All of these factors combined to suggest the necessity of bringing together scientists working in these areas with the intent that such a meeting might lead to a cross-fertilization of the various areas. Possibly by providing a context in which members of the various disciplines could interact, it was felt that we might increase the likelihood of identifying those similarities and differences in the concepts and methods common to all groups. Such an identification could provide the basis for a subsequent interdisciplinary research effort.

Interdisciplinary work at the gateway to design

Spatial Intelligence examines public and professional conceptions of the relationships between thinking about spatial attributes and active engagement in spatially related constructions and designs. Even though children’s and adolescents’ spatial propensities in constructive activities parallel the skills needed by professionals in both established and emerging fields, spatial education is often missing from K–12 curricula and is easily impeded by teachers, parents, or other individuals who do not provide contexts in formalized settings, such as schools, to nurture its potential. This book bridges the gap by linking the natural spatial inclinations, interests, and proclivities of individuals from a variety of cultures with professional training and expertise in engineering, architecture, science, and mathematics. Educators will be better able to achieve the skills and awareness necessary to provide children and young adults with the vital opportunities inherent in spatial education.