Selection of Landmarks as a Correlate of Cognitive Map Organization

Abstract

The relationship between the organization of cognitive maps and the ability to evaluate environmental features as landmarks was assessed for 59 college students. Analysis showed that lower levels of cognitive map organization were related to a tendency to select spatially ambiguous landmarks as representative of an unfamiliar route. The results are interpreted as indicating that variability in basic cognitive mapping skills contributes to variability in the rate at which adults' cognitive maps undergo changes in organization.