They form a mental model, called a cognitive map [1]. This is classic cognitive science, discovered by Tolman's famous 1940's experiments on rats in mazes [2].

They form a mental model, called a cognitive map [1]. This is classic cognitive science, discovered by Tolman's famous 1940's experiments on rats in mazes [2]. The experimantal setup is simple yet brilliant. He allowed rats to learn a path from a fixed starting location to a fixed endpoint with food. He then changed their starting location, and the rats would immediately adapt their path, showing that they had learned a mental map rather than simple input/output responses. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_map http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_map [2] http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/tolman.htm#Theory http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/tolman.htm#T...