Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026
06:17
Assessing Human Spatial Navigation in a Virtual Space and its Sensitivity to Exercise
Published on: January 26, 2024
Cognitive adaptations for gathering-related navigation in humans
Max M Krasnow1, Danielle Truxaw, Steven J C Gaulin
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9660, USA.
Summary
The human mind has a navigational gathering adaptation for remembering food locations. This cognitive mechanism is always active in women and activated by motivation in men.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Evolutionary Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Human spatial cognition involves specialized mechanisms for adaptive problems.
- Hominin ancestors, especially females, faced challenges in gathering immobile foods with variable attributes.
- Efficient navigation and memory for food resources were crucial for survival.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and test a cognitive model of a navigational gathering adaptation in humans.
- To investigate the role of spatial memory in resource acquisition.
- To examine sex differences in the activation of this adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Development of a cognitive model for navigational gathering.
- Empirical testing of the model's predictions using samples from the US and Japan.
- Analysis of spatial memory encoding for gatherable foods.
Main Results:
- Results uniformly supported the proposed navigational gathering adaptation.
- Evidence indicates the human mind encodes food locations into spatial memory.
- The adaptation is chronically active in women and activated by explicit motivation in men.
Conclusions:
- The human mind possesses a specialized navigational gathering adaptation.
- This adaptation plays a significant role in spatial memory and resource location.
- Observed sex differences suggest distinct activation patterns in men and women.
Related Concept Videos
01:42Schemas
A schema is a mental construct consisting of a cluster or collection of related concepts (Bartlett, 1932). There are many different types of schemata, and they all have one thing in common: schemata are a method of organizing information that allows the brain to work more efficiently. When a schema is activated, the brain makes immediate assumptions about the person or object being observed.
01:15Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.
01:25The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic
In order to make good decisions, we use our knowledge and our reasoning. Often, this knowledge and reasoning is sound and solid. However, sometimes, we are swayed by biases or by others manipulating a situation. For example, let’s say you and three friends wanted to rent a house and had a combined target budget of $1,600. The realtor shows you only very run-down houses for $1,600 and then shows you a very nice house for $2,000. Might you ask each person to pay more in rent to get the $2,000...
01:21Cognitive Learning
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
01:17Cognitivism
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
01:21The Nativist Approach
The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...