Cognitive mapping in childhood

Abstract

The final stage in A. W. Siegel and S. H. White’s theory of the development of cognitive mapping was survey knowledge. Survey knowledge encodes locations from an overhead or oblique view, and includes knowledge of the multiple spatial relations among multiple locations. Research on the development of cognitive mapping began in the early years of the twentieth century, although there were consistent programmes of research until the late 1960s and early 1970s. Reflecting a general interest in infancy in cognitive development work, there is substantial interest in the development of cognitive mapping in very young children. This work is especially important because it can help to shed light on the developmental origins of the abilities that have typically been studied in older children and adults. Until about fifteen years ago, almost all research on spatial cognition and cognitive mapping had focused on children’s mental representations of spatial relations.