ABSTRACT
The development of spatial cognition and the varieties of cognitive deficits and differences in particular subgroups of the population are of interest for at least several reasons. Groups of workers who are required to have, and regularly use, spatial information in their daily lives and jobs might be expected to have especially high levels of cognitive spatial ability. Investigation of the clinical implications of brain damage for spatial cognition has most commonly used table-top or screen-based tasks that assess spatial attention and construction, such as block assembly. The term cognitive map may erroneously be taken to imply some sort of cartographic representation “in the head.” The identification of distinctions among the various types of spatial cognitive skill has proved beneficial, and future research needs to clarify these further, using suitable paradigms. Spatial cognition may have wide implications for cognitive development.
