You are here : why we can find our way to the Moon but get lost in the mall /
Ellard, Colin,1958-
Ellard, Colin,1958-Where am I.
New York : Doubleday,
c2009.
Psychologist Colin Ellard explains how, over centuries of innovation, we have lost our instinctive ability to find our way and suggests that architects and city planners need to consider human behavior when designing human environments, and we all need to recognize that we are part of, not isolated from, the space around us.
Originally published as: Where am I? Toronto : HarperCollins, 2009.
"What science says about our spatial intelligence and how it shapes our connections to nature, cities, homes, and virtual worlds" -- Dust jacket subtitle.
Lost and found -- Why ants don't get lost at the mall : how humans and animals navigate space. Looking for targets : simple tactics for finding our way that we share with all other animals ; Looking for landmarks : how we search for the invisible by using the visible ; Looking for routes : how we try to keep track of where we are by noting where we have been ; Maps in the world : how expert navigators use specialized senses to find their way ; Maps in mouse minds : the mental maps of space possessed by animals ; Muddled maps in human minds : the peculiar nature of our mental maps and what it says about how we understand space -- Making your way in the world today : how our mind shapes the places where we work, live, and play. House space : how our mental maps influence our behavior inside our homes ; Working space : how the geography of our mind influences our habits of work and play ; City space : how knowing (or not knowing) our place influences life in the city ; Cyberspace : how the nature of our mind makes it possible for us to live in electronic places ; Greenspace : how the features of our spatial brain influence our connections to, and neglect of, our natural environment ; The future of space.
Psychologist Colin Ellard explains how, over centuries of innovation, we have lost our instinctive ability to find our way and suggests that architects and city planners need to consider human behavior when designing human environments, and we all need to recognize that we are part of, not isolated from, the space around us.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-321) and index.
Space perception.
Orientation (Physiology)
Orientation (Psychology)
Animal orientation.
Cognitive maps (Psychology)
Geographical perception.