Prof. Michel Denis's Lecture: “Space and Spatial Cognition: A Multidisciplinary Perspective”

“All living creatures inscribe their activity in space. Human beings acquire know ledge of this space by traversing it, listening to verbal descriptions, and looking at maps, atlases, and digital media. (…). Which mental capacities do people mobilize when confronted with space? Which brain functions do they implement? How do digital technologies extend these capacities?” In this way prof. Denis introduces the main issues of his book “Space and Spatial Cognition: A Multidisciplinary Perspective” (2018).

The seminar presents the elements of human navigation and the mental representation of our environment; the ability to create shortcuts, imagine new pathways, and thus demonstrate our adaptation to the environment. This topic is addressed using a multidisciplinary approach involving psychology, neuroscience, geography, architecture, and the visual arts.

The seminar is held within the Bachelor of Psychological Science, “Spatial cognition” course. It is open to all students and researchers interested in the subject.

Michel Denis is emeritus senior research scientist at the French National Center for Scientific Research and a member of the Laboratory of Computer Science for Mechanics and Engineer Sciences (LIMSI-CNRS) in Orsay (France). As a researcher in cognitive psychology, he mainly studied the processes of mental representation involved in visual imagery and spatial cognition. He is the author of about 200 scientific publications in international journals and books.