ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the issues in the light of the new technologies and aims to draw some features for future research in the area of cognitive mapping. The term ‘cognitive map’ was first coined by E. C. Tolman, on the basis of data observed in rats, when he tried to explain the processes underlying the spatial behaviour in terms other that of a purely behaviourist point of view. A person travelling through unfamiliar environment can form spatial representations of the environment using three distinct classes of information. The transfer of spatial knowledge from virtual to real environments is another important issue investigated in some studies. The chapter provides a some examples that demonstrate the relevance of new technologies such as Virtual Environment Technology and functional brain imagery for spatial cognition and cognitive mapping research. Concerning functional brain imaging, most of the data obtained so far rely on the use of Positron Emission Tomography, but this is becoming less and less true.
