Question

"If you came home to your apartment in the very early hours of the morning and did not wish to wake your roommate by turning on the lights, you would likely rely upon __________ to aid you in avoiding obstacles in the apartment that might cause injury or noise.

a.modeling
b.a cognitive map
c. learning
d.insight learning"

Answer 1

In a dark apartment to prevent disturbing a roommate, a person would use a cognitive map—a mental representation of the space created through experience—to navigate without visual cues.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario described involves navigating through a familiar environment without the aid of visual cues, such as lights, in order to avoid waking a roommate. In this instance, a person would rely upon a cognitive map to help avoid obstacles and navigate the environment safely and quietly. Cognitive maps are mental representations of our surroundings that we build through experience, allowing us to navigate spaces without direct sensory input. This shows the power of cognitive learning, as demonstrated by E.C. Tolman's experiments with rats in mazes, suggesting that both humans and animals can form these maps and use them for sophisticated navigation.

This cognitive tool helps in making judgments and reasoning abstractly about space and our movements in it, as we may do when deciding to turn off an alarm or snooze it. It's similar to how we learn to attune to certain aspects of environments, like a picture or a fountain, to enhance our cognitive maps, as suggested by psychologist Laura Carlson. Thus, in the absence of light, reliance on a cognitive map is essential to moving around your environment without the use of visual cues.