Analysis of distortions in a mental map using GPS and GIS

Mental maps are a cartographic illustration of a person’s internal representation of the spatial environment in which they live. They are often used to provide an insight into how different ethnic or social groups perceive their environment. A new method of measuring the distortions present in mental maps is developed and tested using a global positioning system (GPS) and a geographic information system (GIS). Results suggest distortions are apparent the further away subjects travel from their familiar environment and that there are consistent scales at which mental maps operate.PublishedNon Peer ReviewedAppleyard, D. (1970) Styles and methods of structuring a city, Environment and Behaviour, 2, pp. 100-118. Baird, J. C., Merrill, A. A. and Tannenbaum, J. (1979) Studies of the Cognitive Representation of Spatial Relations II, A Familiar Environment. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 108,pp. 92-98. Freundschuh, S. M. (1998) The Relationship Between Geographic Scale, Distance, and Time as Expressed in Natural Discourse, In M. J. Egenhofer and R. G. Golledge (Eds.), Spatial and Temporal Reasoning in Geographic Information Systems (pp. 131-142). New York: Oxford University Press. Golledge, R. G. and Spector, A. N. (1978) Comprehending the Urban Environment: Theory and Practice, Geographical Analysis, 10, pp. 403-426. Golledge, R. G. and Stimson, R. J. (1987) Analytical Behavioural Geography, New York: Croom Helm. Golledge, R. G. and Stimson, R. J. (1997) Spatial Behaviour: A Geographic Perspective, New York: The Guildford Press. Gould, P. R. and White, R. R. (1974) Mental Maps: Penguin. Hirtle, S. C. (1998) The Cognitive Atlas: Using GIS as a Metaphor for Memory, In M. J. Egenhofer and R. G. Golledge (Eds.), Spatial and Temporal Reasoning in Geographic Information Systems (pp. 263-274). New York: Oxford University Press. Magana, J. R., Romney, A. K. and Evans, G. W. (1981) Scaling Techniques in the Analysis of Environmental Cognition Data, Professional Geographer, 33, pp. 294-301. Pocock, D. C. D. (1979) The Contribution of Mental Maps in Perception Studies, Geography, 64, pp. 279-287. Portugali, J. (1996) The Construction of Cognitive Maps, Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Tobler, W. R. (1976) The Geometry of Mental Maps, In R. G. Golledge and G. Rushton (Eds.), "Spatial Choice and Spatial Behaviour" - Geographic Essays on the Analysis of Preferences and Perceptions (pp. 69-81): Ohio State University Press. Tolman, E. C. (1948) Cognitive maps in rats and men, Psychological Review, 55, pp. 189-208. Tuan, Y. (1975) Images and Mental Maps, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 65, pp. 205-213. Tuan, Y. (1977) Space and Place: the perspective of experience, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. Tversky, B. (1981) Distortions in Memory for Maps, Cognitive Psychology, 13, pp. 407-433. Tversky, B. (2003) Structures of Mental Spaces: How People Think About Space, Environment and Behaviour, 35, pp. 66-80. Waterman, S. and Gordon, D. (1984) A Quantitave-Comparative Approach to Analysis of Distortion in Mental Maps, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 36, pp. 326-337