How do we find our way?
Finding your way is something you do every day, until it fails. We study how people find their way, why they differ so much in how well they do it, and how we can help people who get lost.
Led by Prof. dr. Ineke van der Ham . Leiden University and Medical Delta,TU Delft
Our research
Five connected lines, from the general population to the clinic, with technology as a common thread.
Why people differ
Age, gender, experience and confidence all shape how well we navigate. Almost 12,000 people took part in our national Experiment Navigeren kun je leren.
When a cognitive map does not form
People with atopia cannot form a usable cognitive map of their surroundings. Together with aphantasia, it shows what cognitive maps do for memory and daily life.
Getting lost after brain injury
We developed the Wayfinding Questionnaire, the Leiden Navigation Test and the Leiden Navigation Training, now used in rehabilitation care.
Technology in neuropsychology
Virtual and augmented reality and serious games help us study and train navigation, and show how people experience virtual space.
People and places
With TU Delft we study how buildings and public spaces can be designed so that everyone finds their way.
Do you often get lost?
You are not alone. Read about atopia, share your experiences and take part in our research.
How it fits together
These lines feed each other. Population studies show what normal variation looks like, which lets us recognize impairment after brain injury and in atopia. People with brain injury and people with atopia show which parts of navigation can fail on their own, which sharpens our theories. Technology runs through all of it.
Our current focus on atopia and the cognitive map grows out of this work and asks a broad question: what does it mean for memory, thinking and daily life to have a good or a poor cognitive map?
Science with and for the public
Much of our research happens in public: at festivals such as Lowlands Science, museum nights, in schools and online. More than 40,000 people have taken part so far. On De weg kwijt, people who often get lost find information, tips and a community.
Work with us
We welcome enquiries from prospective PhD candidates, postdocs and students, and from clinicians and researchers who would like to use our tools or collaborate.