ABSTRACT
The environments that have been used in spatial cognition research are quite varied. Some researchers have employed table-top model spaces with small objects to create a sort of “mini-environment” (e.g., Nigl & Fishbein, 1974; Piaget & Inhelder, 1967). Others have used environmental spaces ranging from classrooms (e.g., Siegel & Schadler, 1977), to neighborhoods (e.g., Ladd, 1970), to cities (e.g., Appleyard, 1970), to geographic regions as large as the United States (e.g., Evans & Pezdek, 1980) and North and Central America (Stevens & Coupe, 1978). Clearly, there is reason to wonder to what extent we can generalize the findings on spatial behaviors from one type of environment to those with another. Are the same cognitive processes required in interaction with the various types of environments or spaces, and if so, are they applied in similar fashion? This is the basic issue addressed in this chapter.
