Spatial Cognition

Spatial cognition refers to thinking about environmental spaces and spatial properties of objects and events. Spatial properties include the location of environments and objects, their sizes, their shapes, their internal patterns, their distances from other environments and objects, and any movements that occur. For events, spatial properties include location of the occurrence in the environment, the objects involved, the movements of the objects involved, and the duration of the event. In humans, animals, and machines, spatial cognition includes the acquisition of spatial knowledge, the retrieval of knowledge from memory, and the manipulation and application of spatial information in problem solving. In humans, animals, and machines, spatial cognition is involved in navigation, which involves moving through environments using immediately available sensory information and/or memory representations of previously experienced routes. In humans and animals, spatial cognition involves sensation, perception, and memory. In humans, spatial cognition also involves mental imagery, language processing, reasoning, and solving problems.