# Cognitive map The cognitive map was first introduced by Edward Tolman in 1948, who used it to describe the process by which rats navigated a maze to be able to reach a food reward.[^1] A cognitive map is distinct from a [[mental map]] and a [[Mental models|mental model]], though the words are often used interchangeably, especially as the concept and term is used across multiple disciplines. For instance, in user experience design, a cognitive map is a visual representation of a person’s mental model for a process or concept.[^2] ```dataview list file.outlinks where file = this.file ``` ```dataview list FROM outgoing([[Cognitive map]]) ``` --- # ## Further Reading - [[okeefe1978HippocampusCognitiveMap|O'Keefe, J., & Nadel, L. (1978). The hippocampus as a cognitive map.]] - [[tolman1948CognitiveMapsRats|Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men.]] > [!cite]- Reference > ```dataview > TABLE WITHOUT ID > link(file.path, title) AS "Title", > type AS "Type", > keywords AS "Keywords" > FROM "50 Reference" > WHERE contains(keywords, this.file.link) > SORT type, title asc > ``` [^1]: [[tolman1948CognitiveMapsRats|Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men.]] [^2]: [Nielsen Norman Group - Maps, Mind Maps, and Concept Maps: A Definition](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/cognitive-mind-concept/)