Cognitive mapping is one of the most important subjects in the field of psychology. It is considered to be the representation of the real world in mind. The simplest way to describe cognitive mapping is by considering how people remember direction to new places. Someone who is new to a large city would employ the use of various senses and processes to remember the direction he took. They would realize unique landmarks and their brains would encode such landmarks, process and keep the information.Assuming the people are brought back to the same place after sometimes, it is obvious that their brain would try to decode the already stored information. The information is however retrieved in a distorted form.
Neurological understanding cognitive mapping
Hippocampus usually controls the aspect of cognitive mapping. Hippocampus does this function by bringing together the non-spatial and spatial information through its connection to the brain. Studies indicate that place cells perform a critical function in achieving this function of cognitive mapping. The cells of the brain responsible for cognitive mapping are such that they form bearing that help in the construction of direction. It is a fact that hippocampus is the foundation of the cognitive mapping. However, all the cells are joined together in a complex circuit that is responsible for this function.
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Evidence supporting cognitive mapping
Two separate maps support the idea hippocampus is the foundation of the cognitive map. The bearing map is one of the maps that support this idea. According to this map, the environment is characterized by the use gradients and self-movement cues. If vectors are applied in this theory, it would be possible to come up with a two-dimensional map of the environment in which an individual had observed ("A powerful way to improve learning and memory", 2017).
Positional clues are on the hand, represented by using sketch maps which are the second theory that supports cognitive mapping. In this theory, mainly the landmarks or objects are used to construct direction. The direction and location of the landmarks are useful in creating s two-dimensional environment. when these two maps are brought together, the mind creates a cognitive map for the area that had been observed.
Sources of the cognitive maps
Several sources are important for the generation of cognitive maps. Most of the cognitive maps are made by self-induced mechanisms that a result of the cues of movement. Most of the maps are constructed through visualization of areas and systems. However, other body senses may also help to come up with a cognitive map an area that is characterized by sound and other environmental factors such as smell. Both directional and positional clues also contribute to the creation of these cognitive maps (Bruns, 2017).
The other strategy of memory recognition is the retrieval clues. This strategy helps to store new information in most cases. This strategy is used mostly in the learning process; anindividualmust be present during the learning process inorder to be able to apply this strategy. The clue mainly makes good use of the ability of an individual to recall information presented before them (McDermott & III, 2017).
Effects of memory strategies
The memory strategies are important for the process of recalling information. The cognitive mapping strategy is most useful for their call of directions and locations. The strategy is mostly applied by individuals who are new in certain places. It is possible to construct direction as someone moves around in a particular location. The map constructed is stored in mind for future retrieval. This strategy is seen to take advantage of both the direction and location. This strategy greatly impacts the ability of the humans to recall directions and be able to locate new positions from first time observation. Cognitive mapping would help an individual not lose direction of anew place. This strategy would be used mainly for the newcomers in an area or for children who are not familiar with the place they stay(McDermott & III, 2017).
The retrieval strategy, on the other hand,affects the ability to recall information learned. As mentioned before, this strategy makes it possible to understand why the students would have different memory capabilities in a class setting. Good learners are observed to have a good retrieval strategy compared to the slow learners. More often, they keep attention to every detail of the information that is presented before them in a class or learning setting. The application of this memory retrieval strategy in the class setting is used for the learning process and helps to improve the learning process of the students. The tutors have a duty to make good use of the cognitive abilities of the students in order to ensure that they are able to recall information learned and be able to give the best performance in class. In general, this strategy would help in producing intelligent students who would greatly impact the world through technological innovations and inventions (L, 2017).
In conclusion, cognitive mapping is a useful strategy for the recall of direction and maps. Normally, the different cue is applied in this strategy to make it more useful and applicable in real life situation. The memory of the map is usually in distorted form thus more focus should be put on the cue to have a more clear and concise picture of the map being reconstructed.
References
L, H. (2017). Cognitive maps and attention. - PubMed - NCBI . Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . Retrieved 13 September 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19733757
McDermott, K., & III, H. (2017). Memory (Encoding, Storage, Retrieval) . Noba . Retrieved 13 September 2017, from http://nobaproject.com/modules/memory-encoding-storage-retrieval
A powerful way to improve learning and memory . (2017). http://www.apa.org . Retrieved 13 September 2017, from http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2016/06/learning-memory.aspx
Bruns. (2017). The Effects of Retrieval Strategy and Cueing on . Slideshare.net . Retrieved 13 September 2017, from https://www.slideshare.net/AlecBruns/the-effects-of-retrieval-strategy-and-cueing-on
