Daniel R. Montello (1992) Characteristics of Environmental Spatial Cognition. Psycoloquy: 3(52) Space (10)
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Psycoloquy 3(52): Characteristics of Environmental Spatial Cognition
CHARACTERISTICS OF ENVIRONMENTAL SPATIAL COGNITION
Commentary on Bryant on Space
Daniel R. Montello
Department of Geography
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
montello@geog.ucsb.edu
Abstract
Bryant (1992) proposes a unitary spatial representation
system (SRS) constructs spatial knowledge representations based on
input from either linguistic descriptions of environments or
perceptual information acquired while directly experiencing
environments, or both. In this commentary, I discuss some of the
characteristics of the spatial-cognitive system that Bryant has
touched upon, particularly those dealing with large-scale, or
environmental, spaces. Attempts to build a common framework for
understanding both spatial and linguistic cognition are interesting
and laudable, especially if one believes that linguistic cognition
evolved from nonlinguistic cognitive systems such as those
responsible for spatial cognition. In addition to examining the
spatial representations derived from linguistic descriptions, much
of value could be gained by examining the linguistic descriptions
derived from spatial representations, either external or internal.
Keywords
Spacial representation, spacial models, cognitive maps,
linguistic structure.
References
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