APA Dictionary of Psychology

a topographical representation of arrays of sensory receptors or motor effectors (muscle units) in the cerebral cortex. Examples are the topographical maps of visual point features such as light, contrast, spatial frequency (size), color, movement, and so forth in the visual cortex (see retinotopic map) and the sound frequency maps of the auditory cortex (see tonotopic organization). See also localization of function; topographic organization.