Space and Spatial Cognition

Michel Denis is emeritus senior research scientist at the French National Center for Scientific Research and a member of the Laboratory of Computer Science for Mechanics and Engineer Sciences (LIMSI-CNRS) in Orsay (France). As a researcher in cognitive psychology, he mainly studied the processes of mental representation involved in visual imagery and spatial cognition. He is the author of about 200 scientific publications in international journals and books.

Foreword, 1. The area, 2. The book. Part I Space as object of knowledge and object of practice, Chapter 1. Philosophical approaches to space 1. From absolute to relative space, 2. Poincaré, space and geometry, 3. Merleau-Ponty and phenomenology of space, 4. Genetic epistemology of spatial representation, 5. Universality of geometric intuition?, 6. Numbers and space. Chapter 2. Geographic space, 1. Geographers' objects, 2. Spatial analysis and the concept of territory, 3. Maps, 4. Cartographic truth and intelligibility, 5. Very distant spaces. Chapter 3. Space-related practices, 1. Architectural and urban spaces, 2. Staging space, 3. Museum space, 4. Pictorial space and the issue of perspective, 5. Labyrinths and mazes, 6. Sacred spaces, 7. Space of poetry and literature. Part II Spatial behavior and spatial representations. Chapter 4. Classifications, 1. Spaces (plural), 2. Unity of spatial cognition?, 3. Wayfinding. Chapter 5. Frames of reference and cognitive maps, 1. Frames of reference, 2. Interactions, 3. Imagined perspectives, 4. Cognitive maps, 5. The acquisition of cognitive maps. Chapter 6. Measurements, 1. Places, 2. Distances, 3. Distortions, 4. Angles and directions, 5. Spatial updating and path integration. Part III Brain and sensorimotor systems: Functions and dysfunctions. Chapter 7. The spatial brain, 1. The hippocampus, 2. The parahippocampal cortex, 3. The parietal cortex, 4. Interactions, 5. Cognitive maps and the brain. Chapter 8. Weaknesses, 1. Topographical disorientation, 2. Disorientation and cognitive ageing, 3. Neurodegenerative diseases, 4. Spatial neglect, 5. Spatial anxiety. Chapter 9. Spatial challenges, 1. Cognitive and locomotor impairments, 2. Space without vision, 3. The nature of spatial representations, 4. Navigational assistance to the blind. Part IV Space and language. Chapter 10. Spatial terminology, 1. Spatial language, 2. The language of spatial prepositions, 3. Linguistic diversity in the use of prepositions, 4. Spatial perspective and frames of reference, 5. Comparative approaches and linguistic relativity. Chapter 11. Spatial descriptions, 1. Literary challenges, 2. Linearization, 3. Selecting a perspective, 4. "Moving" through a mental spatial model, 5. Equivalences?. Chapter 12. Routes and route directions, 1. Route directions, 2. Models, 3. Validations, 4. Landmarks, 5. Mental imagery, 6. Children's route directions. Part V Computation and technologies. Chapter 13. Space and computer sciences, 1. The emergence of artificial intelligence models, 2. Qualitative reasoning, 3. Wayfinding choremes, 4. Robotic challenges, 5. Biomimetic implementations. Chapter 14. Assistance, 1. Spatial syntax, 2. Navigation aids, 3. On the risks of cognitive disengagement, 4. Reliability?. Chapter 15. Virtual spaces, 1. A tool for studying spatial representations and behaviors, 2. Validations, 3. Differentiations, 4. Beyond the substitution model, 5. Ergonomics of virtual interfaces. Epilogue. Spatial thinking, 1. Space, from all perspectives, 2. Virtues of spatial thinking, 3. "There are no lost steps", 4. Eulogy of detour. References. Index