Research group: Representation of Time and Space in Cognitive Processes

The structures of physical space and time form two of the most important foundations for cognitive representations and processes. Real world events are accessible to cognitive systems through directed perception and subconscious memories or through descriptions in terms of language and/or pictures. In addition, the generation and interpretation of representations of spatio-temporal events are events themselves which are bound to follow the physical laws of time and space. For these reasons, the investigation of spatial and temporal structures may yield important insights not only into the representation and processing of knowledge about time, space, and events, but also into the representation and processing of knowledge in general, as the required processes take place in space and time.

The research group on representation of space and time in cognitive processes investigates formal properties of spatio-temporal structures and their reconstruction in computer models; the acquisition of spatial knowledge and knowledge structures in real and simulated environments; the construction of complex spatial relations in `cognitive maps' including the temporal structures of the processes involved; the connection between the representations of cognitive events and of space; mental spatial reference frames and operations in mental and modelled representations; concept formation on spatial relations and their linguistic description; and the effect of sensory input deprivation on the precision of spatial representations and the potential for compensation. The research questions are derived from theoretical considerations, from experimental evidence, and from application problems.

In accordance with the interdisciplinary approach of our cognitive science graduate program, we have a diversity of methodological approaches to investigating spatio-temporal representations. We carry out formal theoretical investigations on diverse models of spatio-temporal structures (e.g. qualitative vs. quantitative knowledge), we construct computer models to validate these structures empirically, and we carry out experimental investigations on spatial-cognitive representations and processes, particularly on the human orientation in space. In doing so, we attempt to fill existing knowledge gaps by combining analytical and synthetic approaches.

(Last change: December 2, 1997)
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