Until this class I hadn’t put much thought on the subject of Cognitive Mapping, but now I realize how interesting it really is. According to Jon Lang in Cognitive Maps and Spatial Behavior, “people’s spatial behavior depends partially on the images they have of the structure of the environment.” Lang goes on to say that cognitive maps are a method we use to construct and accumulate spatial knowledge, allowing the “mind’s eye” to visualize images. This is extremely useful in recall and the learning of information.
Through cognitive mapping, we acquire, code, store, recall and decode information about our physical environment. The images so formed include elements obtained from direct experience, from what one has heard about a place, and from imagined information. They included impressions about the structure or appearance of a place, its relative location, its use, and its values.
Just as we are all different people, we each structure the environment differently. For instance, some people perceive themselves as the center of the universe, some people give directions with reference to the cardinal points of the compass and some may orient themselves with reference to their home territories (much like the picture above).
For example, when people draw the city as they remember it, they’ll piece together how they perceive space. Particularly when thinking about urban planning, and what makes a good landmark, edge, or paths, these kinds of maps can be really interesting. Think for a moment: what are the landmarks in your life? When you give directions, what do you remember?Do you think the distance from Midtown Altanta to Buckhead is really far, or really close? Maybe certain areas on your “mental map” are larger than other because you spend so much time there and you are more familiar with it.
Source: Lang, Jon (1987) Cognitive Maps and Spatial Behavior. In Jon Lang, ed. Creating Architectural Theory: The Role of the Behavioral Sciences in Environmental Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. p135-144.
[Image: Children’s Views of Tukwila]
Filed under: Environment, Theory, cognitive map, cognitive mapping, spatial behavior
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