spatial cognition

the collection, organization, use, and revision of information about one’s environment. Spatial cognition enables people to manage a multitude of everyday tasks, such as getting to the breakfast table, taking the subway to work, or using a joystick to move a character in a virtual game. It is a complex phenomenon that often extends beyond immediate perception. Indeed, psychologists have found that people build extensive cognitive maps that they use to think spatially; these maps have a hierarchical structure, such that individuals “see” the major points and then fill in the details. See also spatial memory.

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Psychology term of the day

December 19th 2024

Monte Carlo research

a simulation technique in which a large number of samples with specific selected properties (e.g., normality, size, model type) are generated by computer in order to assess the behavior of a statistical procedure or parameter under varying conditions. For example, an investigator might conduct Monte Carlo research with a large number of normally distributed samples of various sizes (e.g., N = 50, 100, 200, 400, 800) in which a structural model is applied to characterize the data. Results would help the researcher determine the conditions under which the model behaves correctly (i.e., fits the data) as well as shows its limits (e.g., not fitting well with sample sizes less than 200). Also called Monte Carlo method.