This research investigates processes and strategies for learning environmental information from maps. Although considerable attention has been given to the role of symbolization and design decisions in map effectiveness, the processes and strategies used for learning from maps were not addressed until recently. Studies thus far, primarily by psychologists, have lacked a geographic perspective that incorporates principles of map design and an attention to how maps are actually used. An interactive computer map presentation environment will be devised that allows information presentation and acquisition strategies to be compared for ease of knowledge acquisition, retention in long-term memory, and organization of the cognitive representation derived. The research will investigate the applicability of theories of adult environmental learning, derived from developmental theories of spatial cognition, to the process of acquiring information from maps. Two experiments will be conducted to address the following questions: is there a difference in the cognitive representation derived from a map 1) when map learning tasks are directed to learning point features versus route planning, and 2) when a map is presented to users in an incremental fashion, focussing on landmarks, routes, or regions, versus learning the map as a whole.
