Mental maps

From Geography

Mental maps (also called cognitive maps)[1] are a component of the behavioral geography. People have mental maps of the spaces and places around them. (Cloke et al, 1991). Sarre (in Graham, 1976, p. 259) defines mental maps as ‘A model of the environment which is built up over time in the individual’s brain’. Mental maps are stored in the brain, so they don’t really exist. Nevertheless you can see those maps as mental constructs which are a result of a geographical environment and the human action in the world (Gregory et al, 2009).

Characteristics of mental maps

Mental maps are a part of a broader movement of people’s environmental perception and they represent the social construction of an area (a district, town, country and so forth). This means that these maps are associated with the spatial tasks of orientation and the behavior of people (Gregory et al, 2009). Everyone has his individual ideas about the ‘real’ world based on their own knowledge, experiences and impressions of an area. These ideas are filtered through their own personality, attitude and values acquired from their cultural background. There’s for example a difference between mental maps of people who live on the countryside or in a city (Knox & Marston, 2010). A mental map creates a sense of place for people; it provides for the orientation, comfort, symbolism and movement of man within his environment (Graham, 1976).

Elements such as districts, roads, nature and landmarks are important in mental maps because people use these features to orient themselves and to navigate within a place or region. Less well-known and less distinctive places do not appear concrete on this particular image which makes every mental map unique. Some objects may not be located in a person’s mental map at all. These distortions in mental maps are the result of our own biases (Knox & Marston, 2010). According to Graham, 1976, this may also be called the ‘Black box phenomenon’. A development growth is clearly visible within different mental maps (Gregory et al, 2009). Some people have a very narrow and localized map. This means that they live in a small world (for example in a very small village). People who live in a large(r) world have a more abstract and broader mental map.

Location of landmarks and so on is in these mental maps fluid. This is because people’s ideas of the world based on information and perceptions of the principal landmarks in their environment changes very often (Knox & Marston, 2010).

References

Cloke, P., Philo, Ch. & Sadler, D. (eds.) (1991) Approaching Human Geography. Chapman, London. Chapter 3: Peopling human geography and the development of humanistic approaches. Pp. 57-92.

Graham, E. (1976). What is a mental map? Area, 9, 259-262

Gregory, D., Johnston, R., Pratt, G., Watts, M., Whatmore, S. (2009). The dictionary of human geography (5th edition). United Kingdom; Wiley-Blackwell.

Knox, P.L. & Marston, S.A. (2010). Human geography. Places and Regions in Global Context (5th edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

N.D. (2011). Understanding Place; Mental Mapping. Retrieved 10 September 2012, from http://designrevival24.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/understanding-place-mental-mapping/

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Published by Renate van Haaren, 24 September 2012--RenateVanHaaren 18:27, 8 October 2012 (CEST)