Descriptions and depictions of environments

Abstract

Subjects studied maps with the expectation that they would draw or describe them from memory. In fact, subjects did both. Order of drawing or describing landmarks revealed the mental organization of environments. Organization was quite similar across maps and descriptions of the same environments, revealing hierarchical structures based on spatial and functional features of the environments and on conventions for sequencing the landmarks. This research was sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Air Force Systems Command, USAF, under Grant AFOSR 89-0076. H.A.T. is supported by an AFOSR LGFP predoctoral fellowship. © 1992 Psychonomic Society, Inc.