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Mechanisms for Human Spatial Competence

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Spatial Cognition V Reasoning, Action, Interaction (Spatial Cognition 2006)

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Abstract

Research spanning decades has generated a long list of phenomena associated with human spatial information processing. Additionally, a number of theories have been proposed about the representation, organization and processing of spatial information by humans. This paper presents a broad account of human spatial competence, integrated with the ACT-R cognitive architecture. Using a cognitive architecture grounds the research in a validated theory of human cognition, enhancing the plausibility of the overall account. This work posits a close link of aspects of spatial information processing to vision and motor planning, and integrates theoretical perspectives that have been proposed over the history of research in this area. In addition, the account is supported by evidence from neuropsychological investigations of human spatial ability. The mechanisms provide a means of accounting for a broad range of phenomena described in the experimental literature.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Air Force Research Laboratory, USA

    Glenn Gunzelmann

  2. L3 Communications at Air Force Research Laboratory, 6030 South Kent Street, Mesa, AZ, United States

    Don R. Lyon

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  1. Glenn Gunzelmann
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Sciences, University of Bremen, Enrique-Schmidt-Str. 5, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Thomas Barkowsky

  2. Department of Psychology, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Otto-Behaghel-Strasse 10F, 35394, Giessen, Germany

    Markus Knauff

  3. LIMSI-CNRS, Université de Paris-Sud, 91403, Orsay, France

    Gérard Ligozat

  4. Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Daniel R. Montello

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Gunzelmann, G., Lyon, D.R. (2007). Mechanisms for Human Spatial Competence. In: Barkowsky, T., Knauff, M., Ligozat, G., Montello, D.R. (eds) Spatial Cognition V Reasoning, Action, Interaction. Spatial Cognition 2006. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 4387. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75666-8_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75666-8_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-75665-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-75666-8

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