ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the research field of spatial cognition and experience, by describing why spatial is special to humans and how space and spatiality relates to people’s thinking and behavior. You live and act in space. The space surrounds you and provides you with opportunities for various actions. Thus your behavior, thinking, and feelings are a result of your interactions with the environment. And, at the same time, your knowledge and feelings guide and direct your behavior. What do you know about the environment? How is the knowledge stored in your mind? How do you use the knowledge to make decisions and actions? How do you communicate your knowledge about the environment to other people? How do you like and evaluate environments around you? What kinds of tools and technologies are available to assist you in spatial learning and orientation? This chapter highlights such important questions of human cognition and experience with illustrating examples.
