earticle

영어

In this study, based on neurophysiological understanding of the spatial information and social properties of cognitive maps, we analyzed sketch maps of two old Chinese villages and attempted to determine the effectiveness of cognitive maps as a tool for interpreting social space. A cognitive map is a social memory of the hippocampus that constructs a map by combining various types of spatial relationships. Sketch maps are a reliable basis for visualizing spatial knowledge of the local environment and are an immediate and inclusive way to externalize cognitive map. Sketch maps are classified into sequential, spatial, and hybrid types. Paths and landmarks are key elements that appear in sketch maps and elements can be flexibly added depending on the environmental conditions. The validity of cognitive map was verified by analyzing sketch maps actually collected from the villages under investigation. As a result, there was a very noticeable tendency for the scope of daily life to be reflected in the social area and expressed in sketch maps, and natural elements and elements outside the village periphery tended to appear concentrated only in men's sketch maps. These trends could be comprehensively observed in the collective cognitive map that accumulated residents' sketch maps.