cognitive map

They envision highways and roads, creating internal atlases, so-called cognitive maps, that guide them steadily on their desired course.

Maybe the very different experiences that Santos and Vanishvili had at their respective borders resulted in very different emotional ties to their cognitive maps of their respective border walls.

The link between emotions and cognitive maps likely has roots in survival.

The results were more complex than earlier studies but reinforce the notion that we bias our cognitive maps with our emotions.

That detail was important, because it meant they were using their cognitive maps, mental images based on their own experience.