Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

This article discusses cognitive maps used by animals to imagine novel scenarios based on past experiences. The important bit: ""Imagination: There's no magic to it; it's a pattern of activity in the brain." But also: how would our mental model of what's being described had the headline read "monkeys grow mental maps" rather than the (arguably less accurate) "monkeys build mental maps"?

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Oct 08, 2026 6:16 p.m.

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