APPROACHES AND METHODS OF STUDYING COGNITIVE MAPS

Zakharova Daria Alexandrovna, Menshikova Galina Yakovlevna, Kovalev Artem Ivanovich

Relevance. Since the middle of the last century, a new theoretical construct has appeared in psychology - cognitive maps of space, which became a harbinger of the cognitive revolution. Later, it became widespread not only in psychology, but also in related neuroscience, including linguistics, computer science and artificial intelligence. Thus, the subject of study acted for each science with its own special side and properties. In this regard, there is some variation in the literature in the definition of cognitive maps of space and methods of their study. з Goal. To consider and analyze approaches to the study of cognitive maps of space. The methodology. Review and analysis of research on cognitive maps of space. Results. The article considers the main approaches to the study of cognitive maps of space, identifies two large research schools: mental and bodily. The mental school considers cognitive maps of space as mental representations of the spatial environment and brings to the fore the analysis of systematic errors in spatial memory and judgments, as well as studies the causes and mechanism of such distortions. The Body School studies navigation in real space, as well as the contribution of various sensory systems and mechanisms that ensure navigation accuracy. Within the framework of this approach, researchers rely on modern knowledge about the brain substrate (hippocampus and adjacent areas), which they compare with cognitive maps. In a separate approach, studies have been highlighted in which cognitive maps are considered as an internal structure of various kinds of knowledge. It was unexpected that in modern research, based on the latest accumulated knowledge about the role of the hippocampus and adjacent areas in spatial navigation, more and more studies confirm the participation of these brain structures in the organization of non-spatial information and the formation of judgments.

Keywords:cognitive maps of space, cognitive collages, orientation schemes, cognitive spaces, mental school, body school