„WHAT IS A COGNITIVE MAP? – UNRAVELING ITS MYSTERY USING ROBOTS“


The theory of cognitive mapping in spatial cognition posits that many
different species learn a map of its environment. However, in recent
years, the theory has been seriously challenged while a noble prize has
been awarded for the discovery of the neural substrate for such a map.
In this talk, I hope to unravel the mystery of cognitive mapping using
robots. First, I present a novel parsimonious view-based model of
cognitive mapping and second, empowering a robot with it, I show what
is computed is not a single global metric map which is problematic but
rather a series of disjointed global maps. The resulting process bears
many aspects of cognitive mapping and provides insights into how
cognitive mapping could have evolved in different species, from insects
to humans, and why our perception of the world is stable.