In
cognitive psychology and
neuroscience,
spatial memory is the part of memory responsible for recording information about one's environment and its spatial orientation. For example, a person's spatial memory is required in order to navigate around a familiar city, just as a rat's spatial memory is needed to learn the location of food at the end of a
maze. It is often argued that in both humans and animals, spatial memories are summarized as a
cognitive map. Spatial memory has representations within working,
short-term memory and
long-term memory. Research indicates that there are specific areas of the brain associated with spatial memory. Many methods are used for measuring spatial memory in children, adults, and animals.