Day 39 of 150 Spatial Difficulty 6/10
Allocentric maps describe places without your body
Quick answer
Allocentric maps describe places without your body. Today's question (Allocentric vs. egocentric reference frames) asks about a finding from O'Keefe, J., & Nadel, L. in 1978. The correct option is Allocentric reference frame — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
When you remember "the café is north of the library" rather than "the café is to my left," you are using a(n):
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: B — Allocentric reference frame
O'Keefe & Nadel's The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map (1978) cemented the distinction between egocentric coordinates (relative to the body — left/right, front/back) and allocentric coordinates (relative to the world — north/south, between landmarks). Egocentric representations support immediate motor action and lean on parietal cortex; allocentric maps support flexible navigation across viewpoints and depend on the hippocampus. Damage to the right hippocampus impairs allocentric memory while leaving egocentric performance largely intact.
About the source
O'Keefe, J., & Nadel, L. (1978). The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map. Oxford University Press.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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