Sense of direction

Short description: Ability to perceive one's physical location

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Sense of direction is the ability to know one's location and perform wayfinding.[1][2] It is related to cognitive maps, spatial awareness, and spatial cognition.[3] Sense of direction can be impaired by brain damage, such as in the case of topographical disorientation.

Humans create spatial maps whenever they go somewhere. Neurons called place cells inside the hippocampus fire individually while a person makes their way through an environment. This was first discovered in rats, when the neurons of the hippocampus were recorded. Certain neurons fired whenever the rat was in a certain area of its environment. These neurons form a grid when they are all put together on the same plane.

## Santa Barbara Sense-of-Direction Scale

Sense of direction can be measured with the Santa Barbara Sense-of-Direction Scale,[4] a self-assessed psychometric test designed in 2002.[5] This scale has been used to study sense of direction in many contexts, such as driving.[6]

## See also

* Personal relative direction
* Spatial disorientation
* Spatial ability

## References

1. ↑ "Definition of "sense of direction" | Collins English Dictionary". http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sense-of-direction. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
2. ↑ Cornell, Edward H.; Sorenson, Autumn; Mio, Teresa (2003-06-01). "Human Sense of Direction and Wayfinding". Annals of the Association of American Geographers 93 (2): 399–425. doi:10.1111/1467-8306.9302009. ISSN 0004-5608.
3. ↑ Kozlowski; Bryant (1977). "Sense of direction, spatial orientation, and cognitive maps.". http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/xhp/3/4/590/. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
4. ↑ Hegarty, Mary; Richardson, Anthony E; Montello, Daniel R; Lovelace, Kristin; Subbiah, Ilavanil (2002-09-01). "Development of a self-report measure of environmental spatial ability". Intelligence 30 (5): 425–447. doi:10.1016/S0160-2896(02)00116-2.
5. ↑ "Santa Barbara Sense-of-Direction Scale | Hegarty Spatial Thinking Lab | Psychological & Brain Sciences | UC Santa Barbara". https://labs.psych.ucsb.edu/hegarty/mary/content/santa-barbara-sense-direction-scale. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
6. ↑ Turano, Kathleen A.; Munoz, Beatriz; Hassan, Shirin E.; Duncan, Donald D.; Gower, Emily W.; Roche, Karen B.; Keay, Lisa; Munro, Cynthia A. et al. (2009-05-01). "Poor Sense of Direction Is Associated With Constricted Driving Space in Older Drivers". The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 64B (3): 348–355. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbp017. ISSN 1079-5014. PMID 19359596.

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