{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T05:24:43Z","timestamp":1786944283790,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786924800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Hum. Neurosci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Spatial navigation is a critical skill in aviation. Traditional research focusing on isolated scores cannot reveal the interactive architecture of cognitive components. This study employed psychological network analysis to compare the self-reported spatial cognitive strategy structures of airline pilots and non-pilot controls.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In a cross-sectional design, 110 commercial airline pilots and 203 university students (non-pilot controls) completed self-report measures of spatial anxiety, wayfinding strategies, and sense of direction. Gaussian Graphical Models were used to estimate psychological networks for each group, followed by statistical comparison of their network structures.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The pilot group reported greater use of orientation strategies and higher self-rated navigation ability. The global network structure differed significantly between the two groups despite comparable overall connectivity. However, no individual edge or centrality index reached statistical significance after correction, suggesting a distributed rather than hub-driven reconfiguration. All findings were derived from self-report measures and reflect subjective strategy patterns rather than objective cognitive performance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The self-reported spatial strategy networks differed globally between the two groups, although no single edge or node drove the observed effect. These findings may reflect training effects, self-selection, or a combination of both, and the pronounced differences in sex and age distributions between the two groups may also have contributed to the observed network patterns. All inferences are limited to subjective strategy patterns rather than objective cognitive performance.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2026.1844920","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T04:36:46Z","timestamp":1786941406000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A psychological network analysis of self-reported spatial cognitive strategies in commercial airline pilots and non-pilots"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Yuan","family":"Zhou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]},{"name":"Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ying","family":"Long","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]},{"name":"Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuqi","family":"Yao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education, Shaanxi Normal University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jing","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Physical Education, Shaanxi Normal University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yuxuan","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Sociology, Nankai University","place":["Tianjin, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruida","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]},{"name":"Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ming","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]},{"name":"Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.4236\/psych.2020.111012","article-title":"Expert retrieval structures and prospective memory in the cognition of Acheulian hominins","volume":"11","author":"Alperson-Afil","year":"2020","journal-title":"Psychology"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"476","DOI":"10.1007\/s00426-023-01863-3","article-title":"The structure of cognitive strategies for wayfinding decisions","volume":"88","author":"Bock","year":"2024","journal-title":"Psychol. Res."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"806","DOI":"10.1037\/met0000471","article-title":"Reporting standards for psychological network analyses in cross-sectional data","volume":"28","author":"Burger","year":"2023","journal-title":"Psychol. Methods"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"544","DOI":"10.1080\/13825585.2011.586018","article-title":"Cognitive aging and flight performances in general aviation pilots","volume":"18","author":"Causse","year":"2011","journal-title":"Neuropsychol. Dev. Cogn. B Aging Neuropsychol. Cogn."},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuron.2015.09.021","article-title":"The cognitive architecture of spatial navigation: hippocampal and striatal contributions","volume":"88","author":"Chersi","year":"2015","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13036","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-92246-4","article-title":"Human brain dynamics in active spatial navigation","volume":"11","author":"Do","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"803","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2014.00803","article-title":"A critical review of the allocentric spatial representation and its neural underpinnings: toward a network-based perspective","volume":"8","author":"Ekstrom","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front. Hum. Neurosci."},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"84","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cobeha.2017.06.005","article-title":"Human spatial navigation: representations across dimensions and scales","volume":"17","author":"Ekstrom","year":"2017","journal-title":"Curr. Opin. Behav. Sci."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.3758\/s13428-017-0862-1","article-title":"Estimating psychological networks and their accuracy: a tutorial paper","volume":"50","author":"Epskamp","year":"2018","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Methods"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"617","DOI":"10.1037\/met0000167","article-title":"A tutorial on regularized partial correlation networks","volume":"23","author":"Epskamp","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychol. Methods"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.3390\/jintelligence12030030","article-title":"Examining the interplay between the cognitive and emotional aspects of gender differences in spatial processing","volume":"12","author":"Fioriti","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Intelligence"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104672","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ridd.2024.104672","article-title":"Navigation abilities and spatial anxiety in individuals with and without developmental coordination disorder (DCD\/dyspraxia)","volume":"146","author":"Gentle","year":"2024","journal-title":"Res. Dev. Disabil."},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"851","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci11070851","article-title":"Do advanced spatial strategies depend on the number of flight hours? The case of military pilots","volume":"11","author":"Giancola","year":"2021","journal-title":"Brain Sci."},{"key":"ref14","first-page":"7","article-title":"Personality profiling of pilots: traits and cognitive style","volume":"2","author":"Glicksohn","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Pers. Psychol."},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"873","DOI":"10.1080\/13607863.2020.1742658","article-title":"Quality of self-reported cognition: effects of age and gender on spatial navigation self-reports","volume":"25","author":"Ham","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aging Ment. Health"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"425","DOI":"10.1016\/S0160-2896(02)00116-2","article-title":"Development of a self-report measure of environmental spatial ability","volume":"30","author":"Hegarty","year":"2002","journal-title":"Intelligence"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.2478\/sh-2018-0014","article-title":"Expert knowledge: its structure, functions and limits","volume":"7","author":"Hetma\u0144ski","year":"2018","journal-title":"Stud. Hum."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"301","DOI":"10.1080\/21642850.2018.1521283","article-title":"Network analysis: a brief overview and tutorial","volume":"6","author":"Hevey","year":"2018","journal-title":"Health Psychol. Behav. Med."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1111\/tops.12605","article-title":"Individual differences and skill training in cognitive mapping: how and why people differ","volume":"15","author":"Ishikawa","year":"2023","journal-title":"Top. Cogn. Sci."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1081786","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2023.1081786","article-title":"Contemporaneous symptom networks and correlates during endocrine therapy among breast cancer patients: a network analysis","volume":"13","author":"Jing","year":"2023","journal-title":"Front. Oncol."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.1080\/24721840.2018.1442222","article-title":"Predictive validity of spatial ability and perceptual speed tests for aviator training","volume":"27","author":"Johnson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Aerosp. Psychol."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5677","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-024-49722-y","article-title":"Human navigation strategies and their errors result from dynamic interactions of spatial uncertainties","volume":"15","author":"Kessler","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"389","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1021668724970","article-title":"Gender differences in wayfinding strategies and anxiety about wayfinding: a cross-cultural comparison","volume":"47","author":"Lawton","year":"2002","journal-title":"Sex Roles"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neunet.2015.01.002","article-title":"Computational cognitive models of spatial memory in navigation space: a review","volume":"65","author":"Madl","year":"2015","journal-title":"Neural Netw."},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1038\/s41539-020-0067-8","article-title":"Evidence for a unitary structure of spatial cognition beyond general intelligence","volume":"5","author":"Malanchini","year":"2020","journal-title":"NPJ Sci. Learn."},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e90822","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.90822","article-title":"Functional and blood-based biomarkers of brain aging in senior airline pilots approaching mandatory retirement: a case-control comparison with age-matched office workers","volume":"17","author":"Minoretti","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103769","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jvb.2022.103769","article-title":"A meta-analysis on air traffic controllers selection: cognitive and non-cognitive predictors","volume":"138","author":"Mouratille","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Vocat. Behav."},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1004","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2009.04.001","article-title":"Intelligence and neural efficiency","volume":"33","author":"Neubauer","year":"2009","journal-title":"Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev."},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102032","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jenvp.2023.102032","article-title":"Environmental cognitive load and spatial anxiety: what matters in navigation?","volume":"88","author":"Nori","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Environ. Psychol."},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3621","DOI":"10.3758\/s13428-022-01979-1","article-title":"Induction of spatial anxiety in a virtual navigation environment","volume":"55","author":"Oliver","year":"2023","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Methods"},{"key":"ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102584","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lindif.2024.102584","article-title":"The structure of adult thinking: a network approach to (meta)cognitive processing","volume":"117","author":"Orona","year":"2025","journal-title":"Learn. Individ. Differ."},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"747","DOI":"10.1037\/abn0000181","article-title":"Identifying highly influential nodes in the complicated grief network","volume":"125","author":"Robinaugh","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Abnorm. Psychol."},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104457","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apergo.2024.104457","article-title":"Development and validation of spatial disorientation scenarios using virtual reality and motion simulator","volume":"125","author":"Sungho","year":"2025","journal-title":"Appl. Ergon."},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e90058","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0090058","article-title":"Navigation experience and mental representations of the environment: do pilots build better cognitive maps?","volume":"9","author":"Sutton","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2835","DOI":"10.3390\/s24092835","article-title":"The impact of various cockpit display interfaces on novice pilots\u2019 mental workload and situational awareness: a comparative study","volume":"24","author":"Tang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11591","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-025-95924-9","article-title":"Mapping relationships among gross motor skills in 16,989 children using network analysis","volume":"15","author":"Vagnetti","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5918","DOI":"10.1038\/srep05918","article-title":"A new method for constructing networks from binary data","volume":"4","author":"van Borkulo","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1273","DOI":"10.1037\/met0000476","article-title":"Comparing network structures on three aspects: a permutation test","volume":"28","author":"van Borkulo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Psychol. Methods"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103838","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apergo.2022.103838","article-title":"Aviation and neurophysiology: a systematic review","volume":"105","author":"van Weelden","year":"2022","journal-title":"Appl. Ergon."},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"768","DOI":"10.1037\/xlm0000200","article-title":"How do (some) people make a cognitive map? Routes, places, and working memory","volume":"42","author":"Weisberg","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Exp. Psychol. Learn. Mem. Cogn."},{"key":"ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"138","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2010.01.001","article-title":"What determines our navigational abilities?","volume":"14","author":"Wolbers","year":"2010","journal-title":"Trends Cogn. Sci."},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1106","DOI":"10.3758\/s13421-014-0418-x","article-title":"Different \u201croutes\u201d to a cognitive map: dissociable forms of spatial knowledge derived from route and cartographic map learning","volume":"42","author":"Zhang","year":"2014","journal-title":"Mem. Cogn."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Human Neuroscience"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnhum.2026.1844920\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T04:36:50Z","timestamp":1786941410000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnhum.2026.1844920\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"references-count":42,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fnhum.2026.1844920"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnhum.2026.1844920","relation":{},"ISSN":["1662-5161"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1662-5161","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"article-number":"1844920"}}