Environmental Learning and Cognitive Mapping

Abstract

Microgenetic aspects of adult cognitive representations of large scale environments were examined for two samples. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed stable, parallel shifts in map construction for both samples. Landmarks appear to be used as initial anchor points in the environment with path structures elaborated subsequently within the initial landmark network. Further-more, basic ordinal accuracy of landmarks did not shift with experience, but exact location in space improved. The value of multidimensional scaling techniques and other multivariate techniques were also demonstrated.