Maps in Your Mind:
Edward C. Tolman and the Cognitive Map
Jack Bermingham
Background
• Conceived By
Edward C. Tolman
of UC Berkeley in
1948
• Cognition was
regarded as an
unscientific study
Experimental Method
• Rats released into a simple
“maze” structure
• Three groups of rats, based on
rewards:
– Control Group: food after the
maze
– Delayed Group: food after the
maze starting on day 11
– No Reward Group: no food
• Maze structure switched
–Location of food stayed the same
Findings
• No Reward Group and Delay group learned the maze
more slowly
• Delay Group quickly caught up to Control group once
food was introduced
• Majority of rats in new maze moved toward the
location of the food in the previous maze.. Not in the
direction that the previous maze led them!
Historical Significance
• Tolman is considered the founder of cognitivebehavioral psychology
• Initiated shift towards scientific investigation
of cognitive process –as opposed to simply
studying reactions to stimuli.