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1. Mental Maps

Learning the world around us starts when we are very young and continues throughout our lives

• Process of: sensory data >> abstraction / categories >> representation / symbols

Cognitive mapping: gathering of environmental knowledge via our senses and direct experience of the environment

Initially things are understood from an egocentric perspective

• egocentric: self-centered; things in relation to us (we are the center)

As our experience of the environment grows we develop a set of locations in relation to our home and paths between those locations

What is important is that

• there is some kind of map in our heads

• and it is based on direct experience, egocentrism, and locations and paths

We still use this basic process of mental mapping when in unfamiliar places

Our mental maps seldom stay simple

• larger areas are incorporated as we travel (more direct experience)

• we begin to annotate our direct experience with indirect experience

Change from an egocentric to a geocentric understanding of environment

• geocentric: orienting ourselves to the external environment

Why does this geocentric mental map develop?

• developmental and cognitive psychology

• cultural/social

Our mental maps - whether inborn or culturally determined - is enhanced by the use of an established spatial frame of reference which we learn from and can use with other people

Mental maps are not like printed paper maps with accurate directions and distances

P. Muehrcke: "As adults our mental maps are a potpourri of fact and fiction, gleaned through a haphazard combination of direct and indirect, and extrasensory experience. Some aspects of it are egocentric and based on connected paths, while other bits are geocentric and based on Euclidean distance-direction relations. We have forgotten some things and seen others incorrectly. Our fears and prejudices and longings have biased our way of looking at the world. It is understandable that a combination of these factors may badly warp our image of the environment." p. 8

BUT...despite this mental maps often work just fine, no matter how warped they are

Geographical biases: what you know depends on where you live

Transcriptions of Mental Maps: Geocentric maps

Kevin Lynch Image of the City (1960): putting mental maps to work:

• develop a notation for drawing mental maps (what people emphasize)

• how to use such maps in planning

Lynch mental map elements

• Landmarks: prominent points of interest
  

  Pathways: paths, streets, etc.

  

  Districts: downtown, dorms, etc.

  

  Nodes: meeting places, centers where pathways cross

  

  Edges: breaks on the map between districts

  

Some other applications of mental mapping... fear & emotion:

David Ley (1972): Fear & Stress in an Urban (Philadelphia) Neighborhood:

Christian Nold (2004-present)

• Bio Mapping: GPS + GSR: The Bio Mapping tool allows the wearer to record their Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), which is a simple indicator of emotional arousal in conjunction with their geographical location. This can be used to plot a map that highlights point of high and low arousal. By sharing this data we can construct maps that visualise where we as a community feel stressed and excited.

• BioMapping.net
  

  
  
  

Exercise 1: Mental Maps

Goal is to get some sense of what is where in your heads about where you live

• focus on what is important to you, where you walk, live, eat, recreate...

Be creative and show what is important to you

I don't want a road map! don't even look at one!

• just draw what you know in your head

When done with map: answer the questions

Then move into the realm of Cartographic maps...with some history

E-mail: jbkrygier@owu.edu

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