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The aim of this study was to design a test to measure a person’s ability to orient themselves on a “you are-here” map. The Spatial Orientation Skills Test, a test measuring spatial orientation ability, consists of 30 items, each item contains two maps, one is positioned at 0° (the model), and the other is the same map but amplified and rotated. The task participants were required to perform was to find their way around on the model map to get to a specific point by taking as a reference point the position indicated on the amplified and rotated map. A sample of 281 university undergraduates participated in the study. The test obtained a Cronbach alpha of .83. The test was significantly correlated to the test measuring image rotation. The results are discussed, and new lines of research are proposed.

The results of research on gender differences in image rotation appear to be fairly consistent, but little is known of the differences in image rotation between individuals from different professions. The aim of this study was to examine differences in gender and differences in the type of undergraduate studies in relation to the number of correct choices in image rotation, the number of incorrect choices in rotation, and the test score (correct choices minus errors). A total of 555 Architecture, Fine Arts, Psychology, and Business study undergraduates (318 women and 237 men) participated in the study. Participants were administered the Mental Rotation Test. The number of correct choices, errors, and correct choices minus errors was calculated. Men obtained more correct choices and better test scores (correct choices minus errors) than women in image rotation, and women made more rotation errors than men. Architecture undergraduates obtained more correct choices in image rotation and a higher test score (correct choices minus errors) than the other undergraduates groups.

ResumenEl objetivo de este estudio era conocer la imagen que tienen los habitantes de A Coruña sobre su ciudad. Con este fin, se presentó el cuestionario utilizado por Boira (1992), con algunas modificaciones, a un grupo de 130 estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la ciudad de A Coruña (España). Se confirma el papel central de la Torre de Hércules como elemento simbólico y representativo, la asociación de ésta y del mar y las playas con la idea que la mayoría tiene de la ciudad, y la percepción de las plazas de María Pita y de Pontevedra como corazón de la ciudad y como nodo más importante, respectivamente. La ciudad ha sido descrita por muchos participantes como "una ciudad pequeña con todos los servicios cerca". Palabras clave: Imagen pública, ciudad, habitantes, cuestionario. AbstractThis work aimed to study the image of the inhabitants of A Coruña (Spain) in this city. For this purpose, the questionnaire used by Boira (1992), with some modifications, was applied to a group of 130 students from the Faculty of Education at the University of A Coruña (Spain). The results confirm the central role of the Hercules Tower in the image of the city, as a symbolic and representative element, the association of this Tower, the sea and the beaches with the idea that most people have of the city, and the perception of the Maria Pita and Pontevedra Square as the heart of the city and the most important node, respectively. The city has been described by many participants as "a small town with all amenities nearby." Keywords: Public image, city, inhabitants, questionnaire.El término "mapa cognitivo" fue utilizado por primera vez por Tolman (1948), para explicar los procesos de aprendizaje de laberintos en las ratas, asumiendo que había algo parecido a un mapa de rutas que guiaba la conducta del organismo en su medio. Sin embargo, fue el arquitecto Kevin Lynch (1960/2013) el que popularizó el concepto de mapa cognitivo de la ciudad entre los investigadores de diversas disciplinas, interesados en el estudio de la representación espacial ambiental y sus implicaciones (urbanistas, arquitectos, psicólogos, planificadores, geógrafos, etc.) (Carreiras, 1992).Lynch destacó la importancia de un escenario físico capaz de generar una imagen clara ("legible") que actúe como organizador y marco de referencia. Una ciudad legible, según Lynch, sería aquella cuyos elementos (distritos, sendas, lugares sobresalientes…) se pueden identificar y organizar fácilmente en una pauta global. Este arquitecto analizó las zonas centrales de tres ciudades de Estados Unidos (Boston, Nueva Jersey y Los Ángeles), llevando a cabo entrevistas con sus habitantes, y clasificó los contenidos de las imágenes de la ciudad en cinco tipos de elementos: Sendas, bordes, barrios, nodos e hitos.Sendas son las calles, senderos, vías férreas, los conductos que conectan distintas partes de la ciudad, y que para muchos individuos son los elementos preponderantes en su imagen. Bordes son elementos lineales, referencias laterales que, en principio, el in...

This study assessed gender differences in city map rotation, and the differences between architecture, business studies, fine arts, and psychology undergraduates. Participants were given 90 pairs of maps positioned at different rotation angles (0°, 90°, and 180°). Participants were required to ascertain as quickly as possible whether rotating the map on its axis to the right (without lifting it up) aligned it with the model. In Test 1, no rotation was required because the angle was 0°, whereas in Tests 2 and 3 the angle of rotation was 90° or 180°, respectively. The number of correct rotations (correct choices minus errors) were calculated for women and men and for field of study. Men made more correct choices minus errors than women. Architecture undergraduates made more correct choices minus errors than other students. This study indicates that maps placed on physical elements located in streets or buildings should be positioned at 0° in relation to the surrounding environment. Additional studies are needed to analyze the causes underlying differences between women and men and differences in map rotation between undergraduates of other university degrees.