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The research endeavors to study and determine the influence of cognitive maps on production of political manifestos discourse. The research has been conducted in the framework of Sociocognitive Discourse Studies. The results show that discourse cognitive structure of British Conservative Party and Australian Liberal Party manifestos is characterized by different sets of cognitive maps on the level of communicative strategies and somewhat similar sets of cognitive schemas on the level of communicative tactics. Applying the method of interpropositional semantic analysis, the communicative strategy and communicative tactic of comparison was identified in Australian Liberal Party manifesto. Despite the close affinity between political discourses of the UK and Australia, there are significant differences in patterns of information organization in online manifestos of the ruling parties to engage the community and enhance persuasion., Постановка проблеми. Когнітивні мапи (КМ) – це дискурсивна когнітивно-орієнтована форма реалізації панівних і повторюваних комунікативних стратегій у дискурсі. Когнітивна схема (КС) – це дискурсивна когнітивно-орієнтована форма реалізації панівних і повторюваних тактик у дискурсі.Мета статті. Метою дослідження є аналіз та порівняння використання КМ і КС в онлайн-маніфестах британської консервативної та австралійської ліберальної політичних партій станом на вересень 2021 р.Методи дослідження. Дослідження було проведено в рамках соціокогнітивного дискурс-аналізу. Для опису комунікативної стратегії і комунікативної тактики порівняння було застосовано метод міжпропозиційних семантичних відношень.Основні результати дослідження. Дискурсивна когнітивна структура досліджуваних маніфестів характеризується різним набором КМ на рівні комунікативних стратегій і дещо схожим набором КС на рівні комунікативних тактик. У маніфесті британської консервативної партії використано такі КМ, як причина-наслідок, прогнози на майбутнє, особистість, людський інтерес та емпатія, норми поведінки. Натомість у маніфесті австралійської ліберальної партії використано такі КМ, як порівняння, організація, особистість і прості судження. Зазначимо, що комунікативну стратегію і комунікативну тактику порівняння використано в КМ і КС відповідно в маніфесті австралійської ліберальної партії. Визначено, що досліджувані маніфести відрізняються глобальними темами, серед яких лише три є однакові, а саме: освіта, економіка і здоров’я.Висновки і перспективи. Результати дослідження свідчать, що незважаючи на спорідненість між політичними дискурсами Великої Британії та Австралії існують істотні відмінності в організації інформації в онлайн-маніфестах досліджуваних партій для відповідного впливу на електорат.

A Biomimetic SLAM Algorithm Based on Growing Self-Organizing Map (GSOM-BSLAM), inspired by spatial cognitive mechanism of mammalian hippocampus, is proposed to resolve uncertainty problems in location identification and lack of real-time performance in simultaneous localization and mapping. The algorithm connects activation characteristics of the place cell and neurons in the output layer of the neural network to construct a topological map of space using a self-organizing growable mapping neural network. It utilizes self-motion-aware information to obtain activation response of the place cell to estimate the robot position information, improving the localization accuracy and real-time performance of the system. Meanwhile, an accurate environmental cognitive map is finally created by incorporating color-depth images for closed-loop detection and error correction for spatial cell path integration. The proposed algorithm is validated using publicly available KITTI and St. Lucia datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms RatSALM by 37.8% and 36.5% in terms of localization accuracy and real-time performance, respectively, indicating good mapping capabilities.

Credit to personal consumption is an important activity of the financial system and crucial to the socioeconomic development of a country. It is important, therefore, that the methods and techniques used to evaluate consumer credit risk be as efficient and informative as possible, in order to strengthen decisions to approve or reject credit and promote sustainable economic growth. This study aims to create a multiple criteria expert system which integrates cognitive maps and the measuring attractiveness by a categorical-based evaluation technique (MACBETH) to create a complementary framework for consumer credit risk assessment. The results show that this integrated approach allows the evaluation process of consumer credit risk to be more informed and transparent, providing value for the evaluation processes of this type of credit application as a result of the privileged contact established with a panel of credit analysts. Advantages, limitations, and managerial implications are also discussed.

Cognitive maps and spatial memory are fundamental paradigms of brain functioning. Here, we present a spiking neural network (SNN) capable of generating an internal representation of the external environment and implementing spatial memory. The SNN initially has a non-specific architecture, which is then shaped by Hebbian-type synaptic plasticity. The network receives stimuli at specific loci, while the memory retrieval operates as a functional SNN response in the form of population bursts. The SNN function is explored through its embodiment in a robot moving in an arena with safe and dangerous zones. We propose a measure of the global network memory using the synaptic vector field approach to validate results and calculate information characteristics, including learning curves. We show that after training, the SNN can effectively control the robot’s cognitive behavior, allowing it to avoid dangerous regions in the arena. However, the learning is not perfect. The robot eventually visits dangerous areas. Such behavior, also observed in animals, enables relearning in time-evolving environments. If a dangerous zone moves into another place, the SNN remaps positive and negative areas, allowing escaping the catastrophic interference phenomenon known for some AI architectures. Thus, the robot adapts to changing world.

Significance Credit assignment (CA) to relevant actions poses a challenge because one is often flooded with reward feedback that is not easily causally attributed. We addressed this issue in a reinforcement learning framework wherein choice is mutually controlled by value-caching model-free (MF) and prospective, planning model-based (MB) systems. We find knowledge, stored in a cognitive map, filters exuberant reward feedback to guide CA in both systems but based on different attribute dimensions. In MF, CA is boosted for outcomes that are relevant (causally related) to one’s choice, whereas in MB, CA is enhanced for outcomes that attract greater attention during the deliberation process that preceded a choice. We consider normative and mechanistic accounts, including how these processes are instrumental to adaptation., An influential reinforcement learning framework proposes that behavior is jointly governed by model-free (MF) and model-based (MB) controllers. The former learns the values of actions directly from past encounters, and the latter exploits a cognitive map of the task to calculate these prospectively. Considerable attention has been paid to how these systems interact during choice, but how and whether knowledge of a cognitive map contributes to the way MF and MB controllers assign credit (i.e., to how they revaluate actions and states following the receipt of an outcome) remains underexplored. Here, we examine such sophisticated credit assignment using a dual-outcome bandit task. We provide evidence that knowledge of a cognitive map influences credit assignment in both MF and MB systems, mediating subtly different aspects of apparent relevance. Specifically, we show MF credit assignment is enhanced for those rewards that are related to a choice, and this contrasted with choice-unrelated rewards that reinforced subsequent choices negatively. This modulation is only possible based on knowledge of task structure. On the other hand, MB credit assignment was boosted for outcomes that impacted on differences in values between offered bandits. We consider mechanistic accounts and the normative status of these findings. We suggest the findings extend the scope and sophistication of cognitive map-based credit assignment during reinforcement learning, with implications for understanding behavioral control.

International Conference on Intelligent and Fuzzy Systems, INFUS 2020 -- 21 July 2020 through 23 July 2020 -- -- 242349 COVID-19 pandemic affects not only daily life activities but also traditional education systems. Based on the current developments, to stick by their academic calendars, most of the educational institutions continue their classes via online channels. Since the selection of the most appropriate e–learning platform depends on multi–criteria, the evaluation of this selection process can be dealt with decision support systems. In this study, cognitive mapping extended with intuitionistic fuzzy sets is introduced for prioritizing the e–learning platform selection factors under fuzzy environment based on the multi–expert judgments. Based on the results, infrastructure and ease of use are determined as the most effective factors. For further studies, a sensitivity analysis based on the initial vector determination can be studied to check its effect on the outputs. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG. 2-s2.0-85088745044

La metodología de los Mapas Cognitivos Difusos (MCD) es una de las más relevantes en el estudio del conocimiento y, probablemente, una de las más utilizadas en los últimos tiempos por los inves-tigadores en sus estudios y proyectos. Este artículo analiza a través de una revisión bibliográfica por las principales bases de datos científicas, el uso de esta herramienta en la investigación cientí-fica y su aplicación en las ciencias sociales, además de aportar referencias históricas al respecto. Muestra las principales características de la metodología, sus posibilidades y limitaciones, sus dif-erencias con su antecesor (los Mapas Cognitivos), las fases operativas para su aplicación y las dif-erentes formas de captación de información. Además de demostrar la idoneidad de su aplicación en el ámbito de las ciencias sociales y estudiar sus mayores problemáticas, la identificación de los conceptos involucrados dentro del sistema a estudiar, la selección de expertos y los coeficientes o pesos de los conocimientos de cada uno de estos, ofreciendo sugerencias y aportaciones para una correcta identificación de los conceptos involucrados, una correcta selección de estos expertos y una correcta cuantificación de sus coeficientes de “conocimiento experto”., The methodology of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) is one of the most relevant in the study of knowledge and, probably, one of the most used in recent times by researchers in their studies and projects. This paper analyzes, through a bibliographic review by the main scientific databases, the use of this tool in scientific research and its application in the social sciences, as well as pro viding historical references in this regard. It shows the main characteristics of the methodology, its possibilities and limitations, its differences with its predecessor (Cognitive Maps), the opera tional phases for its application and the different ways of capturing information. In addition to demonstrating the suitability of its application in the field of social sciences and studying its major problems, the identification of the concepts involved within the system to be studied, the selection of experts and the coefficients or weights of the knowledge of each of these ones, offering sugges tions and contributions for a correct identification of the concepts involved, a correct selection of these experts and a correct quantification of their coefficients of "expert knowledge".

Plithogenic sets introduced by Smarandache (2018) have disclosed new research vistas and this paper introduces the novel concept of plithogenic cognitive maps (PCM) and its applications in decision making. The new approach of defining instantaneous state neutrosophic vector with the confinement of indeterminacy to (0,1] is proposed to quantify the degree of indeterminacy. The resultant vector is obtained by applying instantaneous state vector through the connection matrix together with plithogenic operators comprising the contradiction degrees. The connection matrix is represented as fuzzy matrix and neutrosophic matrix and the resultant vector is determined by applying plithogenic fuzzy operators and plithogenic neutrosophic operators respectively. The obtained results are highly feasible in making the decision as it incorporates the contradiction degree of the conceptual nodes with respect to the dominant node. This research work will certainly pave the way for developing new approaches in decision making using PCM.

The potential for prescribed fire to address fuel management and forest restoration goals has received considerable attention. However, many wildfire risk mitigation practitioners and researchers consider prescribed fire to be an underutilized tool for forest and fire management. Prescribed fire can affect a broad range of values (e.g., air quality, wildlife habitat, timber, protection of homes) and these effects, which we term valued outcomes, may result from complex dynamics operating within fire-prone social-ecological systems. Increasing the effective use of prescribed fire requires a better understanding of how these dynamics are perceived by stakeholders, whose support is crucial for forest and fire management initiatives that affect diverse groups of people. We evaluated perceptions of the effects of prescribed fire on valued outcomes using data from 111 cognitive maps elicited from stakeholders in the wildfire-prone Eastern Cascades Ecoregion of central Oregon. As representations of relationships among biological, physical, social, political, and other factors that structure individuals’ understanding of a system, cognitive maps are ideal for analyzing perceptions of dynamics in complex social-ecological systems. We found that prescribed fire was perceived to positively affect valued outcomes in individuals’ cognitive maps. However, when we aggregated individuals’ cognitive maps to evaluate perceptions of prescribed fire at varying stakeholder group sizes, we found that perception of desirable effects declined with group size. Additionally, representatives of fire response and non-governmental organizations tended to perceive prescribed fire more favorably, while private citizens and representatives of private businesses emphasized adverse effects. Finally, we measured how the perceptions of the effects of prescribed fire varied across 15 distinct valued outcomes and found that air quality, aesthetic values, and wildlife habitat were perceived to be most negatively affected by prescribed fire, while cultural and historical values, protection of flora, water quality, and firefighter safety were perceived to be most positively affected. Taken together, our results help to explain the challenge of scaling up the use of prescribed fire and highlight the need for policy processes that account for stakeholders’ views of the multiple—and potentially opposing—effects of prescribed fire on different valued outcomes.

[EN] Purpose Capital restrictions normally exist in the creation of a startup, requiring investors to analyze funding alternatives in a highly competitive climate. Although different types of incentives to support startups exist, these incentives are only available to those companies that fulfill the requirements of the funding program to which they have applied. Due to social and economic changes introduced by the digital economy, however, existing mechanisms for assessing the potential growth of startups are scarce, outdated or simply incomplete, distorting the results of such evaluations. Design/methodology/approach Evaluating business opportunities and how to exploit them are critical activities for an entrepreneur. This study sought to address this issue through the combined use of cognitive mapping and the Decision EXpert (DEX) technique. Assuming a constructivist stance, the study brought together a panel of experienced entrepreneurs and business investors to identify and articulate the criteria to be considered in the evaluation and classification of startups. Findings The evaluation system created in this study was tested, and the results were validated by the expert panel on a collective basis, demonstrating that the dual methodology used can increase our understanding of the decision problem at hand and lead to more informed and potentially better evaluations of the potential growth of startups. Originality/value The authors know of no prior work reporting the integrated use of cognitive mapping and DEX in this study context., The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution and willingness of the expert panel members: André Costa, António Ferreira, Carlos Carvalho, Carlos Vieira, Edgar Campos, Ivan Braz, and Lourenço Oliveira

Summary Organisms adapt to their environments by learning to approach states that predict rewards and avoid states associated with punishments. Knowledge about the affective value of states often relies on credit assignment (CA), whereby state values are updated on the basis of reward feedback. Remarkably, humans assign credit to states that are not observed but are instead inferred based on a cognitive map that represents structural knowledge of an environment. A pertinent example is authors attempting to infer the identity of anonymous reviewers to assign them credit or blame and, on this basis, inform future referee recommendations. Although inference is cognitively costly, it is unknown how it influences CA or how it is apportioned between hidden and observable states (for example, both anonymous and revealed reviewers). We addressed these questions in a task that provided choices between lotteries where each led to a unique pair of occasionally rewarding outcome states. On some trials, both states were observable (rendering inference nugatory), whereas on others, the identity of one of the states was concealed. Importantly, by exploiting knowledge of choice-state associations, subjects could infer the identity of this hidden state. We show that having to perform inference reduces state-value updates. Strikingly, and in violation of normative theories, this reduction in CA was selective for the observed outcome alone. These findings have implications for the operation of putative cognitive maps., Highlights • Humans assign credit to hidden task states inferred based on a cognitive map • The necessity to infer task states taxes the efficiency of credit assignment • Credit assignment is prioritized for hidden over observable task states • Inference might be driven by intrinsic (beyond instrumental) value of information, Moran et al. study how credit assignment (CA) and cognitive-map-based inference interact in reinforcement learning. They find that CA is taxed when the identities of hidden task states need to be inferred using a cognitive map, and that, despite the cognitive costs that inference entails, latent states are prioritized over observable states in CA.

Evolved living beings can anticipate the consequences of their actions in complex multilevel dynamic situations. This ability relies on abstracting the meaning of an action. The underlying brain mechanisms of such semantic processing of information are poorly understood. Here we show how our novel concept, known as time compaction, provides a natural way of representing semantic knowledge of actions in time-changing situations. As a testbed, we model a fencing scenario with a subject deciding between attack and defense strategies. The semantic content of each action in terms of lethality, versatility, and imminence is then structured as a spatial (static) map representing a particular fencing (dynamic) situation. The model allows deploying a variety of cognitive strategies in a fast and reliable way. We validate the approach in virtual reality and by using a real humanoid robot.

Urban living is a major risk factor for psychosis. Considering worldwide increasing rates of urbanization, new approaches are needed to enhance patients’ wellbeing in cities. Recent data suggest that once psychosis has emerged, patients struggle to adapt to urban milieu and that they lose access to city centers, which contributes to isolation and reduced social contacts. While it is acknowledged that there are promising initiatives to improve mental health in cities, concrete therapeutic strategies to help patients with psychosis to better handle urban stress are lacking. We believe that we should no longer wait to develop and test new therapeutic approaches. In this review, we first focus on the role of urban planning, policies, and design, and second on possible novel therapeutic strategies at the individual level. We review how patients with psychosis may experience stress in the urban environment. We then review and describe a set of possible strategies, which could be proposed to patients with the first-episode psychosis. We propose to group these strategies under the umbrella term of ‘urban remediation’ and discuss how this novel approach could help patients to recover from their first psychotic episode. The concepts developed in this paper are speculative and a lot of work remains to be done before it can be usefully proposed to patients. However, considering the high prevalence of social withdrawal and its detrimental impact on the recovery process, we strongly believe that researchers should invest this new domain to help patients regain access to city centers.

Inspired by HCI research advocating for the inclusion of children in the design process, this pictorial provides a qualitative case study on children's perceptions of urban landscapes. Our goal is to create digital maps in the context of locative systems and wayfinding for children. For this purpose, we engaged 70 students from the city of Funchal (Portugal) in the drawing of a cognitive map of their journey from home to school in the Fall of 2017. These children (9-12 years old) also replied to a brief survey, and 31 out of 70 responded to a face-to-face interview in the Spring of 2018. This pictorial offers an analysis of the drawings as well as providing highlights of the children's own account of their maps. Our work generates a set of 10 themes related to landmarks and design ideas for the creation of digital maps for children.

Conservation practice requires an understanding of complex social‐ecological processes of a system and the different meanings and values that people attach to them. Mental models research offers a suite of methods that can be used to reveal these understandings and how they might affect conservation outcomes. Mental models are representations in people's minds of how parts of the world work. We seek to demonstrate their value to conservation and assist practitioners and researchers in navigating the choices of methods available to elicit them. We begin by explaining some of the dominant applications of mental models in conservation: revealing individual assumptions about a system, developing a stakeholder‐based model of the system, and creating a shared pathway to conservation. We then provide a framework to “walk through” the stepwise decisions in mental models research, with a focus on diagram‐based methods. Finally, we discuss some of the limitations of mental models research and application that are important to consider. This work extends the use of mental models research in improving our ability to understand social‐ecological systems, creating a powerful set of tools to inform and shape conservation initiatives.

Humans and animals can learn to order a list of items without relying on explicit spatial or temporal cues. To do so, they appear to make use of transitivity, a property of all ordered sets. Here, we summarize relevant research on the transitive inference (TI) paradigm and its relationship to learning the underlying order of an arbitrary set of items. We compare six computational models of TI performance, three of which are model-free (Q-learning, Value Transfer, and REMERGE) and three of which are model-based (RL-Elo, Sequential Monte Carlo, and Betasort). Our goal is to assess the ability of these models to produce empirically observed features of TI behavior. Model-based approaches perform better under a wider range of scenarios, but no single model explains the full scope of behaviors reported in the TI literature.

The workshop organizers acknowledge the financial support received by the Lorentz Center and by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). This article presents a glossary of terms that are frequently used in research on human crowds. This topic is inherently multidisciplinary as it includes work in and across computer science, engineering, mathematics, physics, psychology and social science, for example. We do not view the glossary presented here as a collection of finalised and formal definitions. Instead, we suggest it is a snapshot of current views and the starting point of an ongoing process that we hope will be useful in providing some guidance on the use of terminology to develop a mutual understanding across disciplines. The glossary was developed collaboratively during a multidisciplinary meeting. We deliberately allow several definitions of terms, to reflect the confluence of disciplines in the field. This also reflects the fact not all contributors necessarily agree with all definitions in this glossary. Publisher PDF

Equitable human well-being and environmental concerns in urban areas have, over the years, become increasingly challenging issues. This trend is related to both the complexity inherent in the multiple factors to be considered when evaluating eco-friendly cities (i.e., green cities) and the way this type of city’s sustainability depends on many evaluation criteria, which hampers all decision-making processes. Using a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach, this study sought to develop a multiple-criteria model that facilitates the evaluation of green cities’ sustainability, based on cognitive mapping techniques and the Choquet integral (CI). Taking a constructivist and process-oriented stance, the research included identifying evaluation criteria and their respective interactions using a panel of experts with specialized knowledge in the subject under analysis. The resulting framework and its application were validated both by the panel members and a parliamentary representative of the Portuguese ecology party “Os Verdes” (The Greens), who confirmed that the evaluation system created distinguishes between cities according to how strongly they adhere to “green” principles. The advantages and limitations of the proposed framework are also discussed. info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

WOS: 000454944200100, This study investigates the beliefs of pre-service mathematics teachers (PMTs) regarding mathematics through plotting their cognitive maps. The PMTs' beliefs regarding the nature of mathematics, and teaching and learning mathematics were considered in depth using a phenomenological approach. Participants in the study were seven PMTs in the fourth year of the Elementary School Mathematics Education Program at a university in Istanbul. Data were collected through individual interviews and analyzed by plotting cognitive maps. The results showed that all PMTs had similar cognitive maps of beliefs regarding mathematics. Although the PMTs stated that they held traditional (teacher centered) beliefs before enrolling in the teacher-training program, they demonstrated that they held more constructivist beliefs as a result of the teacher-training program. The use of cognitive maps was shown to be effective in providing a holistic examination of the beliefs of PMTs and a comparison of their belief systems.

Ontology datasets, which encode the expert-defined complex objects mapping the entities, relations, and structures of a domain ontology, are increasingly being integrated into the performance of challenging knowledge-based tasks. Yet, it is hard to use ontology datasets within our tasks without first understanding the ontology which it describes. Using visual representation and interaction design, interactive visualization tools can help us learn and develop our understanding of unfamiliar ontologies. After a review of existing tools which visualize ontology datasets, we find that current design practices struggle to support learning tasks when attempting to build understanding of the ontological spaces within ontology datasets. During encounters with unfamiliar spaces, our cognitive processes align with the theoretical framework of cognitive map formation. Furthermore, designing encounters to promote cognitive map formation can improve our performance during learning tasks. In this paper, we examine related work on cognitive load, cognitive map formation, and the use of interactive visualizations during learning tasks. From these findings, we formalize a set of high-level design criteria for visualizing ontology datasets to promote cognitive map formation during learning tasks. We then perform a review of existing tools which visualize ontology datasets and assess their interface design towards their alignment with the cognitive map framework. We then present PRONTOVISE (PRogressive ONTOlogy VISualization Explorer), an interactive visualization tool which applies the high-level criteria within its design. We perform a task-based usage scenario to illustrate the design of PRONTOVISE. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of PRONTOVISE and its use of the criteria towards the design of interactive visualization tools which help us develop understanding of the ontological space within ontology datasets.

Eliciting stakeholders’ mental models is an important participatory modeling (PM) tool for building systems knowledge, a frequent challenge in natural resource management. Therefore, mental models constitute a valu-able source of information, making it imperative to document them in detail, while preserving the integrity of stakeholders’ beliefs. We propose a methodology, the Rich Elicitation Approach (REA), which combines direct and indirect elicitation techniques to meet these goals. We describe the approach in the context of the effects of climate change on Baltic salmon. The REA produced holistic depictions of mental models, with more variables and causal relationships per diagram than direct elicitation alone, thus providing a solid knowledge base on which to begin PM studies. The REA was well received by stakeholders and fulfilled the substantive, normative, instrumental, and educational functions of PM. However, motivating stakeholders to confirm the accuracy of their models during the verification stage of the REA was challenging.

In an era increasingly shaped by automation and globalization, industries that rely on creativity, innovation, and knowledge-generation are considered key drivers of economic growth in the U.S. and other advanced capitalist economies. This study examines the spatial distribution of creative firms and how they might align with perceptions of creativity in Omaha, Nebraska, a mid-sized U.S. urban area. Utilizing a survey, participant mapping exercise, and geospatial analyses, the primary goal was to identify formal and informal spaces of creative production and consumption, and determine to what extent the location of creative firms (both arts/media- and science/technology-focused) may shape perceptions of creativity across the urban landscape. The results suggest that local area residents primarily view dense, vibrant, mixed-use, and often historic urban neighborhoods as particularly creative, whether or not there exists a dense concentration of creative firms. Similarly, creative firms were more spatially diffuse than the clusters of &ldquo, creative locations&rdquo, identified by residents, and were more frequently found in suburban locations. Furthermore, while there was no discernible difference among &ldquo, creative&rdquo, and &ldquo, non-creative&rdquo, workers, science/technology firms were more likely than arts/media firms to be found in suburban locations, and less likely to be associated with perceptions of creativity in Omaha.

This study aimed to present the most relevant cognitive factors that influence innovation in activities of small businesses participating in the Local Innovation Agents program in Rondonia (Amazon, Brazil). Cognitive maps were used as a methodological approach for the study of a group of small businesses within the context of the project. The results indicated the existence of 14 relevant factors mentioned by the businesses assessed, highlighting two influence factors mentioned by all participants in some casual relationship, therefore, a consensus: “need for survival” and “knowledge and experience”. These factors indicate, respectively, motivation and innovation process management of the companies studied. The different relations among the factors allowed identifying two groups within the program. They differed primarily in regard of willingness to innovate and development of learning levels that influence innovation activities resulting from the interaction with the program's agents.

The article utilizes the main elements of system analysis and the bases of cognitive science to analyze the concept of the “ecological and economic system”. The characteristics of the conceptual elements of the “green” economy dynamic model used in the application of cognitive analysis are given and their mutual influence is considered. A dynamic model of the “green” economy is developed, a general extended map and a reduced-parametric cognitive map of the development of the “green” economy in the economic space of the region are constructed. Scenario modelling of the development of the region’s “green” economy based on the intensification of the influence of one of the cognitive vertices of the model on the curve of the development of the “green” economy is carried out and described. Scenario modelling and development of cognitive maps are carried out using the software package Vensim Personal Learning Edition (PLE), which is widely applied in system analysis.

Choosing a tenant is a key issue in the housing rental market. Knowing, a priori, whether a tenant will pay the rent on time, be able to hold a good relationship with the neighbors or take care of the property (i.e. whether s/he will be a “good” tenant) is not a simple endeavor. It is crucial, however, as it can help save time, money and conflicts that can end up in court. This study aims to address this issue, through the integrated use of cognitive maps and the Decision EXpert (DEX) technique. Grounded on a constructivist logic, the study brought together a panel of experts with experience and knowledge in the residential rental market, in order to identify and articulate the criteria to be taken into account in the classification and selection of tenants. The results achieved show that the integration of these two methodologies (i.e. cognitive maps and DEX) can help increase our understanding of the decision problem at hand, and lead to more informed and potentially better tenant choices. Advantages and limitations of the framework are also discussed. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Spatial memory has fascinated psychologists ever since the discipline began, but a series of findings beginning in the middle of last century propelled its study into the domain of neuroscience and helped bring about the cognitive revolution in psychology. Starting with the discovery that the hippocampus plays a central role in memory, particularly spatial memory, studies of the mammalian hippocampus and related regions over the latter half of the century slowly uncovered an extensive neural system involved in processing place, head direction, objects, speed and other spatially informative parameters. Meanwhile, the concurrent discovery of hippocampal synaptic plasticity allowed theoreticians and experimentalists to collaborate in linking spatial perception and memory, and genetic techniques developed towards the end of the century opened the door to circuit dissections of these processes. Building on these discoveries, spatial cognition and episodic memory may be the first cognitive competences understood across all levels from molecules to behaviour.

Local ecological knowledge, or the collective perceptions held by a particular group about their environment, results from the transmission of cultural knowledge from one generation to the next, combined with regular and persistent interactions between individuals and the biophysical environment. Management systems that limit access to certain natural resources likely have an effect on the quality of that knowledge. We explore the distribution of local ecological knowledge as it corresponds to different types of fishing activities and experience among fishermen in the eastern Gulf of Maine. We use a network approach to analyze cognitive maps of the ecosystem structure and dynamics described by fishermen during in-depth, open-ended interviews. The interviews reveal unique perspectives on complex interactions between species and their habitat, providing insights about local fluctuations in water temperature and weather patterns, predator-prey dynamics and interspecies competition, with a particular focus on species of commercial interest. We find a significant positive relationship between individuals' diversification in fisheries and the scope of their knowledge. The preliminary findings suggest that fishermen with diversified fishing portfolios interact with a broader range of components in the system, resulting in a more holistic understanding of the marine environment and its dynamics. Because regulatory measures in fisheries management increasingly constrain the ability of individuals to enter diverse fisheries, these findings have significant implications for sustainability and understanding the role that institutions play in shaping local ecological knowledge more generally. A more systematic investigation of how institutional constraints affect the distribution of local ecological knowledge would be well-positioned to inform ecosystem-based approaches in fisheries management.

Spatial knowledge is fundamental for the autonomy and the improvement of quality of life for individuals with blindness. Multisensory applications that integrate tactile and audio stimuli can provide to individuals with blindness valuable information associated with the structure and the content of space. Low cost haptic devices can significantly contribute in this direction. The present study examines the spatial knowledge that individuals with blindness may build by studying an audio-haptic map of a multisensory application, through the use of the low cost haptic device Novint Falcon. Ten adults with blindness (totally blind or only light perception) took part in the research. The age ranged from 19 years to 46 years. Participants managed to build significant spatial knowledge using the multisensory application. More specifically, rich cognitive maps were observed. The results reveal the usefulness of similar applications for individuals with blindness.

Huge amount of internet connected devices affect the usual way of people lives. People now try to find a way to operate all devices they have in the most efficient way. Cognitive maps are used as models for problems analysis on a strategic level in enterprises. In this paper Web of Service concept is defined and further business model of a Social Web of Service-based company is suggested. We also developed mathematical model of customer experience based on cognitive maps which should further be applied to the proposed business model which should improve customer experience management in the enterprise.

In the paper we present our Range-IT prototype, which is a 3D depth camera based electronic travel aid (ETA) to assist visually impaired people in finding out detailed information of surrounding objects. In addition to detecting indoor obstacles and identifying several objects of interest (e.g., walls, open doors and stairs) up to 7 meters, the Range-IT system employs a multimodal audio-vibrotactile user interface to present this spatial information. ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI)

Perceptive analysis of the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) through the cognitive maps. SFM is the current paradigm in forest management. This paradigm has mixed the principles of multifunctionality with the concept of sustainable development. Despite the association between SFM and public participation, the sustainable management of forest resource can be achieved from the technical point of view both with a top-down approach, where a low number of social actors are involved in the decision making process, and a bottom-up approach, where the number of social actors and interests is broad. Following this second approach, a preliminary stage is the construction of the scenario perceived (mapping of stakeholders and analysis of the hierarchy of preferences and interests). This analysis, achieved through the construction of individual and collective cognitive maps, improves the cognitive framework and supports the facilitator in the decision making process. The cognitive maps of the stakeholders are the starting point of the participatory forest management. The paper focuses on the implementation of a method, based on the cognitive maps, aimed to identify and analyse the perception and the hierarchy of interests of the stakeholders with respect to the SFM. The method was tested in a case study characterized by rural vocation where the primary sector has a key role from both social and economic point of views (Alto Matese, Molise Region).

This paper investigates the relationship between street properties and cognitive maps. It is focused on the question of how human cognition of the built environment is affected by street properties. Building on the foundations of Kevin Lynch's studies of environmental perception (Lynch 1960) and recent configuration measurement techniques of the built environment, it addresses an important question that Lynch has left unresolved: Why do people have more complete recollections of some parts of the urban environment, and not others? This paper proposes an analytical measurement framework based on graph theory to compare the results of cognitive maps with objective spatial properties of the corresponding built environment. In order to test our hypothesis, street geometry is measured and defined based on graph theory in two selected areas with similar geometries in Kenmore, Boston and Kendall Sq., Cambridge, MA. Cognitive maps are then collected based on specifically designed map drawing surveys. Finally, the relationship between graph results and cognitive maps is examined in order to identify the ways that street properties affect human perception.

Δημοσίευση σε επιστημονικό περιοδικό Summarization: It has long been recognized that controller strategies are based on a ‘mental picture’ or representation of traffic situations. Earlier studies indicated that controllers tend to maintain a selective representation of traffic flows based on a few salient traffic features that point out to interesting events (e.g., potential conflicts). A field study is presented in this paper that examines salient features or ‘knowledge variables’ that constitute the building blocks of controller mental pictures. Verbal reports from participants, a field experiment and observations of real-life scenarios provided insights into the cognitive processes that shape and reframe the mental pictures of controllers. Several cognitive processes (i.e., problem detection, elaboration, reframing and replanning) have been explored within a particular framework of sensemaking stemming from the data/frame theory (Klein et al., 2007). Cognitive maps, representing standard and non-standard air traffic flows, emerged as an explanatory framework for making sense of traffic patterns and for reframing mental pictures. The data/frame theory proved to be a useful theoretical tool for investigating complex cognitive phenomena. The findings of the study have implications for the design of training curricula and decision support systems in air traffic control systems. Παρουσιάστηκε στο: Applied Ergonomics

We have recently shown that vision is important to improve spatial auditory cognition. In this study, we investigate whether touch is as effective as vision to create a cognitive map of a soundscape. In particular, we tested whether the creation of a mental representation of a room, obtained through tactile exploration of a 3D model, can influence the perception of a complex auditory task in sighted people. We tested two groups of blindfolded sighted people - one experimental and one control group - in an auditory space bisection task. In the first group, the bisection task was performed three times: specifically, the participants explored with their hands the 3D tactile model of the room and were led along the perimeter of the room between the first and the second execution of the space bisection. Then, they were allowed to remove the blindfold for a few minutes and look at the room between the second and third execution of the space bisection. Instead, the control group repeated for two consecutive times the space bisection task without performing any environmental exploration in between. Considering the first execution as a baseline, we found an improvement in the precision after the tactile exploration of the 3D model. Interestingly, no additional gain was obtained when room observation followed the tactile exploration, suggesting that no additional gain was obtained by vision cues after spatial tactile cues were internalized. No improvement was found between the first and the second execution of the space bisection without environmental exploration in the control group, suggesting that the improvement was not due to task learning. Our results show that tactile information modulates the precision of an ongoing space auditory task as well as visual information. This suggests that cognitive maps elicited by touch may participate in cross-modal calibration and supra-modal representations of space that increase implicit knowledge about sound propagation.

Much research has identified and confirmed the core elements of the well-known Community of Inquiry Framework (CoIF): Social, Cognitive and Teaching Presence (Garrison, 2011). The overlap of these Presences, their definitions and roles, and their subsequent impact on the educational experience, has received less attention. This article is prompted by the acceptance of that omission (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2010). It proposes enrichment to the Framework, by entitling the overlapping spaces uniting pairs of Presences as “Influences.” These three spaces, linking pairings of Social, Teaching, and Cognitive Presences, can be labelled as “trusting,” “meaning-making,” and “deepening understanding.” Their contribution to the educational experience is to address constructively some of the challenges of online learning, including learner isolation, limited learner experience of collaborative group work and underdeveloped higher-level abilities. For these purposes we also envisage “cognitive maps” as supporting learners to assess progress to date and identify pathways forward (Garrison & Akyol, 2013). Such maps, developed by a course team, describe the territory that learners may wish to explore, signpost possible activities, and encourage the development of cognitive and interpersonal abilities required for online learning. We hope that considering the Influences may also assist tutor conceptualisations of online community-based learning. Our proposals call on both learners and tutors to conceive of the Presences and Influences as working together, in unison, to enhance the educational experience whilst fostering deep learning. Our suggestions are presented to stimulate scholarly debate about the potential of these interwoven sections, constructively extending the Framework.

Date of Conference: September 05 - 08 2016 The aim of this study is to explore the effects of colour as visuo-spatial cue on spatial navigation and developing a cognitive map in elderly in a simulated virtual hospital environment. The study further purports to explore whether it is possible to improve elders' spatial navigation and cognitive mapping performances as well as younger-aged group, by the aid of coloured visuo-spatial cues. © 2016 ACM.

The delay associated with cerebral processing time implies a lack of real-time representation of changes in the observed environment. To bridge this gap for motor actions in a dynamical environment, the brain uses predictions of the most plausible future reality based on previously provided information. To optimise these predictions, adjustments to actual experiences are necessary. This requires a perceptual memory buffer. In our study we gained more insight how the brain treats (real-time) information by comparing cerebral activations related to judging past-, present- and future locations of a moving ball, respectively. Eighteen healthy subjects made these estimations while fMRI data was obtained. All three conditions evoked bilateral dorsal-parietal and premotor activations, while judgment of the location of the ball at the moment of judgment showed increased bilateral posterior hippocampus activation relative to making both future and past judgments at the one-second time-sale. Since the condition of such 'real-time' judgments implied undistracted observation of the ball's actual movements, the associated hippocampal activation is consistent with the concept that the hippocampus participates in a top-down exerted sensory gating mechanism. In this way, it may play a role in novelty (saliency) detection.

The article discusses a potential use of the methods of cognitive modeling in the field of quality of life. The quality of life, as a universal indicator of human self-perception to feel his sense of satisfaction from various parts of his life, is difficult to assess by strictly mathematical methods, so the authors suggest using the cognitive modeling. The quality of life in his estimation for the convenience of research activity is divided into components - indicators of the quality of life. The widespread indicator "quality of life" and the complexity of the development of its assessment methods lead to high relevance of the authors-proposed method.The introduction provides an overview of current approaches to assessing the quality of life. Among all these approaches the most advantageous is an objectively subjective one. The paper gives a brief assessment of cognitive modeling methods, which are, essentially, a way of graphic and structural elements of reflection and relationships in complex systems. As a result of the analysis of existing research in this area, was found the potential for creating cognitive models of the quality of life and its indicators and was defined the place of the proposed method, among others. The paper presents the method itself, as a series of steps, and focuses on the promising opportunities for researchers of the quality of life from its using.Among the possible lines to use cognitive modeling of the life quality indicators can be three main ones: implementation of new methods to assess the quality of life; choice of the most appropriate technique for a particular study among available methods; realization of the cognitive model and numerical experiment, which allows seeing the effect of external factors on the individual indicators of the quality of life. Thus, due to the high relevance and significant benefits from the use of the proposed method, the article is of interest to researchers of the quality of life and its related indicators.The work is partly supported by The Russian Foundation for Basic Research: Grant No14- 07-00116, №16-07-00474.

Remarkable progress has occurred over the years in the performance evaluation of bank branches. Even though financial measures are usually considered the most important in assessing branch viability, we posit that insufficient attention has been given to other factors that affect the branches’ potential profitability and attractiveness, such as: location features, trade area characteristics and facilities management. Based on the integrated use of cognitive maps and multiple criteria decision analysis, we propose a framework that adds value to the way that potential attractiveness criteria to assess bank branches are selected and to the way that the trade-offs among those criteria are obtained. This framework is the result of a process involving several directors from the five largest banks operating in Portugal, and follows a constructivist approach. Our findings suggest that the use of cognitive maps systematically identifies previously omitted criteria that may assess potential attractiveness. The use of multiple criteria techniques clarify and add transparency to the way trade-offs are dealt with. Advantages and disadvantages of the proposed framework are also discussed. First Publish Online: 2 Oct 2012

Article history: Received October 1, 2011 Received in Revised form November, 14, 2011 Accepted 15 February 2012 Available online 29 February 2012 The aim of this paper is to explore the determinants of Portfolio Choice under the investors, professionals and academics’ perception. We introduce an approach based on cognitive mapping technique with a series of semi-directive interviews. Among a sample of 30 Tunisian individuals, we propose tow different frameworks: a mean-variance framework and a behavioral framework. Each framework is oriented to capture the effect of some concepts as proposed by the mean-variance portfolio theory and the behavioral portfolio theory on the portfolio choice decision. The originality of this research paper is guaranteed since it traits the behavioral portfolio choice in emergent markets. In the best of our knowledge this is the first study in the Tunisian context that explores such area of research . Ours results show that the Tunisian investors behave as it prescribed by the behavioral portfolio theory. They use some concepts proposed by the rational mean-variance theory of portfolio choice but they are affected by their emotions and some others cognitive bias when constructing and managing they portfolio of assets. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Este artigo relata em que medida homens e mulheres se diferenciam quanto ao estilo cognitivo de sistematização e à habilidade de construção de mapas cognitivos. Participaram da pesquisa 214 pessoas (57% mulheres) de João Pessoa (PB), com idade média de 29,3 anos. Elas foram requeridas a listar as Unidades da Federação (UFs) e capitais brasileiras, indicar em mapa esquemático as UFs do país, estimar as distâncias entre capitais e responder o quociente de sistematização. Os resultados indicaram que homens e mulheres se diferenciam em relação ao número de acertos entre capitais e à pontuação em sistematização; em média, os homens apresentam mais acertos e são mais sistematizadores. Em relação à estimativa de distâncias, verificou-se uma configuração espacial mais adequada para as pessoas do sexo masculino. Concluindo, o sexo e o estilo cognitivo de sistematização influenciam a construção de mapas cognitivos. This study examined the extent to which men and women differ regarding systemizing and construction of cognitive maps. Participants were 214 people (57% women) from João Pessoa (Brazil), with mean age of 29.3 years. They were asked to list the Brazilian Federation Unities (BFUs) and their capitals, to indicate in a sketch map the BFUs, to estimate the distances between capitals, and to answer the systemizing quotient test and demographic questions. Results showed that men and women differ with respect to the number of BFUs-capital correctly listed, and on the systemizing score, with men showing more right answers and being more systemizing than women. Men and women did not differ in locating the BFUs in the map, but men had more correct answers overall. In terms of distance estimation once again men showed better spatial representation than women. These findings indicate the influence of sex and systematizing on the representation of cognitive maps.

World Conference on Design, Arts and Education (DAE) -- MAY 01-04, 2012 -- Antalya, TURKEY, WOS: 000316256000100, Being basic concern of urban design education, urban space, can be defined as a livable and perceivable multi-dimensional place that is also has time content. It is formed by buildings, perceived by city-dwellers and has many inter-related urban activities in it. After researches, it can be seen that there has been many approaches that form a basis for urban design education. Among these approaches, this study focuses on cognitive and psychological approaches of urban space which have a great importance in urban design. From this point of view, because of affecting human behavior and activities and considerably important for giving clues to urban designers, the concepts of perceiving space, image ability, spatial legibility and cognitive maps that concretize these mental images or in other words turned these images into drawings were defined in the study. Subject of the study was evaluated within objective and subjective viewpoints. This study chose Selcuk University Campus as a sample area in which we work as an educator and which is the living space of many students. The aim of the study is to find out the undergraduate students' perceptions and images related to Campus Area in which the students gain experiences every day and in accordance with the results to obtain design clues for Selcuk University Campus Area. For attaining this goal, we searched how the spatial image changes by students' individual perception? Which spaces in the area are more easily-remembered than the others? Which are preferable and admirable spaces or not for students? Sampling ratio of the study is approximately %15 (30 undergraduate students) within the students who took an urban design education and live in the campus area. Producing cognitive maps of these students and interpreting them by using Kevin Lynch's (1960) 'cognitive urban image' and Jack L. Nasar's (1997) 'evaluative urban image' elements are the methods of the study. In conclusion; after obtaining and analyzing the cognitive maps, we got some important design clues to produce successful urban spacesfor Selcuk University Campus Area. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer review under responsibility of Prof. Ayse Cakir Ilhan

The aim of personalized maps is to help individual users to read maps and focus on the most task-relevant information. Several approaches have been suggested to develop personalized maps for cities, but few consider the spatial knowledge of its users. We propose the design of “cognitively-aware” personalized maps, which take into account the previous experience of users in the city and how the urban space is configured in their minds. Our aim is to facilitate users’ mental links between maps and city places, stimulating users to recall features of the urban space and to assimilate new spatial knowledge. To achieve this goal, we propose the personalization of maps through a map design process based on user modeling and on inferring personalization guidelines from hand-drawn sketches of urban spaces. We applied this process in an experiment with tourists in Madrid, Spain. We categorized the participants into three types of tourists—“Guided”, “Explorer”, and “Conditioned”—according to individual and contextual factors that can influence their spatial knowledge of the city. We also extracted design guidelines from tourists’ sketches and developed map prototypes. The empirical results seem to be promising for developing personalized city maps that could be produced on-the-fly in the future., ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 7 (8), ISSN:2220-9964

Este artigo analisa os fatores de influência na implementação de uma estratégia no ambiente hospitalar. Tal estratégia é a implementação do Time de Resposta Rápida em unidades de internação, buscando qualidade e segurança na assistência ao paciente hospitalizado. A escolha baseou-se em analisar uma estratégia que tivesse gerado resultados positivos para a instituição em estudo. O trabalho utilizou-se de pesquisa qualitativa de caráter exploratório, sendo um Estudo de Caso único, realizado em um hospital privado de Porto Alegre (RS). Foram realizadas entrevistas em profundidade e também foram aplicados Mapas Cognitivos Causais. Como resultados da pesquisa, o fator diferencial identificado que determinou o sucesso da implementação do Time de Resposta Rápida foi o componente humano. Tal processo em estudo também teve êxito pela congregação de múltiplos fatores que se tornaram facilitadores para garantir esse sucesso. Como contribuição acadêmica, o Mapeamento Cognitivo traz uma possibilidade para compreender-se melhor o pensamento dos níveis hierárquicos no processo da estratégia. This paper analyses the factors affecting the implementation of a strategy within the hospital environment. Such strategy is the implementation of the Quick Response Team in hospitalization units, pursuing quality and safe services to the patient. The choice was based in the analysis of a strategy rendering positive results to the studied institution. A qualitative exploratory research was used, being a single case study within a private hospital located at Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In-Depth interviews and Causal Cognitive Maps were applied. The research results have shown that the differential factor determining the implementation success of the Quick Response Team was the human component. The studied process was also successful due to the confluence of multiple factors, which have become facilitators to assure such a success. As an academic contribution, the Cognitive Mapping brings an opportunity to better understanding the hierarchic levels when thinking about the strategy process.

This study is an attempt to understand how the dimensions of the strategy process (change, thinking and formation) are present in strategists’ minds. The methodology used is exploratory-descriptive. During the exploratory stage, we carried out desk research, which resulted in the development of a measurement tool for the strategy process. For the descriptive stage, we conducted a virtual survey of a sample of 109 executives of different companies. The data obtained were submitted to multivariate analysis (factor analysis and structural equations modeling). The factors that formed the studied dimensions were identified, confirming the existence of paradoxes in the strategy process. The dependence relations and the correlations observed were used as an input for the construction of a model for the strategy process.

International audience; Cognitive map is a qualitative decision model which is frequently used in social science and decision making applications. This model allows to easily organize individuals’ judgments, thinking or beliefs about a given problem in a graphical representation containing different concepts and influences between them. However, reasoning on this model presents some limits and remains a difficult task. For example, cognitive maps donot model uncertainty within the variables, and only deductive reasoning (predicting an effect given a cause) is possible. In this paper, we show how to translate the knowledge represented in cognitive maps in the form of arguments and attack relations among them. In particular, given a decision problem, a cognitive map was first built by eliciting knowledge from experts and then transforming it in a weighted argumentation framework (WAFfor short) for ensuring efficient reasoning. Another contribution of this paper concerns enriching the WAF obtained from a given cognitive map for dealing with dynamics through the consideration of a varying set of observations.

This study was funded by the French National Program LITEAU III of the Ministere de l'Ecologie, du Developpement durable et de L'Energie under project Rad2Brest; International audience; Scientists and managers are not the only holders of knowledge regarding environmental issues: other stakeholders such as farmers or fishers do have empirical and relevant knowledge. Thus, new approaches for knowledge representation in the case of multiple knowledge sources, but still enabling reasoning, are needed. Cognitive maps and Bayesian networks constitute some useful formalisms to address knowledge representations. Cognitive maps are powerful graphical models for knowledge gathering or displaying. If they offer an easy means to express individuals judgments, drawing inferences in cog-nitive maps remains a difficult task. Bayesian networks are widely used for decision making processes that face uncertain information or diagnosis. But they are difficult to elicitate. To take advantage of each formalism and to overcome their drawbacks, Bayesian causal maps have been developed. In this approach, cognitive maps are used to build the network and obtain conditional probability tables. We propose here a complete framework applied on a real problem. From the different views of a group of shellfish dredgers about their activity , we derive a decision facilitating tool, enabling scenarios testing for fisheries management.

Several studies employed different algorithms in order to investigate criminal's spatial behaviour and to identify mental models and cognitive strategies related to it. So far, a number of geographic profiling (GP) software have been implemented to analyse mobility and its relation to the way criminals are using spatial environment when committing a crime. Since crimes are usually perpetrated in the offender's high-awareness areas, those cognitive maps can be employed to create a map of the criminal's operating area to help investigators to circumscribe search areas. The aim of the present study was to verify accuracy of simple statistical analysis in predicting spatial mobility of a group of 30 non-criminal subjects. Results showed that statistics such as Mean Centre and Standard Distance were accurate in elaborating a GP for each subject according to the mobility area provided. Future analysis will be implemented using mobility information of criminal subjects and location-based software to verify whether there is a cognitive spatial strategy employed by them when planning and committing a crime.

A intersecção entre as ciências da cognição e os estudos organizacionais criou um campo emergente de pesquisa denominado cognição organizacional. Tal campo se apóia em uma visão de organização como processos socialmente construídos que, de forma recorrente, articulam atores em interação. Assim, grande ênfase é dada ao papel das cognições dos atores como mediadoras de importantes processos e produtos organizacionais, em seus diferentes níveis. Os mapas cognitivos, nesse domínio, têm sido crescentemente utilizados como ferramentas para representar estruturas e processos cognitivos que ajudam a compreender decisões e ações que configuram uma organização. O presente texto, apoiado em uma revisão da literatura, após localizar as tendências no campo que justificam o uso dos mapas cognitivos, procura caracterizá-los, especialmente no tocante às decisões metodológicas que configuram seus diferentes tipos. Como conclusão, discutem-se os limites e potencialidades dos mapas cognitivos como ferramentas de pesquisa de processos organizacionais. The intersection between cognitive sciences and organizational studies has created a new field of research called organizational cognition. Research in this field is based on a view of organizational processes as the result of social constructions - the exchange and articulation of ideas among those involved in the organization. Thus, a great emphasis is given to the role of the actor's cognitions, which mediate important organizational processes and products. Cognitive maps have been increasingly used in this domain as tools to represent the cognitive structures and processes that help to understand the decisions and actions that define an organization. The present text first identifies the research objectives that justify the use of cognitive maps, then characterizes these tools based on the methodological issues that differentiate among various approaches. The third and final topic addressed involves a discussion of the limits and potentialities of cognitive maps as research tools in the study of organizational processes.