GUS 0821 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Spatial Cognition
9 May 2018
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• Representing Space
o Size and Geographic Extent
o Different processes are important at different scales
▪ Weather and Climate
▪ Your everyday life
• Representing Place
o Place and Identity
▪ Where are you from?
o Not oly people… ut plae prejudie
▪ It is proaly o well accepted, though it is still important to argue,
that a lot of our "geography" is in the mind. That is to say we carry
around with us mental images of the world, of the country in which we
live (all those image of the North/South divide), of the street next door.
The Ne Yorker's etal ap of the U“A, eae a popular poster.
▪ So representations of places are a function of the people that make those
places
▪ Think for a moment about what you consider safe/unsafe areas around
Temple..
• Individual Representations of Place-- Mental Maps
o A mental map is a map in your mind. We all have mental maps but some are
more refined than others. We all have a mental map of the world. Some people
know more countries but we should all know basic things like where the
continents are in relation to each other
o Mental Map also refers to a cognitive or mental image of an environment held
by a individual or group
o They usually have a common spatial framework but often only partially so
• People Use Mental Maps …
o To carry out daily atiities suh as shoppig ad goig to shool or ork: Oe’s
Daily Routine
o Give directions to other people
o Understand world events
o Schematically diagram information or spatial phenomenon
o For understanding spatial cognition and behavior
• Ways Mental Maps Can Be Developed and Refined
o Comparing sketch maps to maps in atlases or other resources
o Describing the location of places in terms of reference points
o Describing the location of places in terms of geographic features and land forms
o Describing the location of places in terms of the human characteristics of a place
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