Maps in Minds: An Empirical Study

Abstract

The notion of a mental map implies that the spatial actor possesses some kind of internal mental ordering of the external environment that he consults in the process of making movement decisions or responding to environmental stimuli. The aim of mental-map studies is to elicit information about the environment from the individual in terms of the characteristics and locational relationship of spatial forms, the qualities attributed to environmental elements, as well as the preferences for and the evaluation of spatial opportunities. This paper is concerned only with the locational aspects of mental maps. A direct mapping method was employed to extract information on the way in which the spatial actor mentally structured the environment into a coherent picture. Analysis was focussed on map styles and map sophistication and their relationships with various characteristics of the respondents. Findings indicate a strong inclination towards the sequential-type maps, which are organised around major paths. This implies that most residents conceive of the city as a set of movement experiences. Most maps produced are lacking in detail, pointing to a low legibility of environmental elements in the study area. Map styles and map sophistication show statistically significant relationships with the respondents' sex, education, occupation, and income, but not with their age, length of residence, and mode of transport. The results are generally in congruence with research findings in Western cities.

SketchMapia: Qualitative Representations for the Alignment of Sketch and Metric Maps

“…Research on sketch maps started with the seminal work by Lynch (1960), who analyzed inhabitants' mental images and understanding of cities. Based on Lynch's work, other researchers investigated how people perceived their environment and studied typical distortions and schematizations between elements in sketch maps and real world elements (Appleyard, 1970;Banerjee et al, 1977;Cadwallader, 1976Cadwallader, , 1979Day, 1976;Lloyd & Heivly, 1987;Wong, 1979). It has been documented that sketch maps reflect conceptions of reality, but not reality itself (Lloyd & Heivly, 1987;Tversky, 1999).…”

A Model of Urban Infrastructural Planning in a Traditional African City: A Case Study of Ilorin, Nigeria

“…Cognitive image is, however, different from locational schematic or mental map. The term "cognitive" is used to indicate the non-locational character of most images, and to suggest that thinking and verbal behaviour form a stronger component of cognitive images than concrete visual imagery (Wong, 1979). Cognitive affective maps are mental orderings of the environment that involve preference ratings that guide residential choice, but personal and financial considerations often preclude selection of the preferred location (Preston, 1982).…”

Propuesta de una interfaz cognitiva para la exploración distante de entornos virtuales como ayuda a las personas ciegas durante la creación de mapas cognitivos

“…Sketchy cognitive maps based on graphs of vista spaces or scenes have been successfully implemented in AI and robotics applications that, otherwise, would have been expensive and inefficient regarding both storage and computational needs (Chown, 1999;Chown, Kaplan, & Kortenkamp, 1995;Kuipers, 1982). Finally, it should be noted that the idea of a single cognitive map summarising someone's spatial knowledge was dismissed in favor of multiple cognitive maps of different spaces (Kuipers, 1982;Wong, 1979).…”