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Reviews research on human cognition in real, everyday settings. Cognitive mapping literature is organized into 5 empirical categories: age, familiarity, gender, class and culture, and physical components of settings. Methodological and conceptual issues in the environmental cognition literature are discussed, emphasizing problems with hand-drawn sketch map methodologies and theoretical ambiguities about the cognitive-mapping process. In particular, the lack of integration of pertinent cognitive research with the environmental psychology literature on cognitive mapping is noted. Potential applications of environmental cognition work to architecture, planning, and education are discussed.(3½ p ref)(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)