9423865 BLAUT STEA The research entails a set of discrete projects designed to test the hypothesis that mapping (the creation and use of representational models of landscape) is a ubiquitous activity by humans of all ages. The projects entail archaeological, cultural, and child-developmental approaches, and archival, ethnographic, and experimental methodologies. The team of collaborators includes researchers experienced in each of these approaches and methodologies. Projects will be carried out in the US, Mexico, and England (the English research is not being funded through this award). The studies and associated theoretical work will be only a partial test of the notion that mapping is a cultural universal; positive results would suggest that map-making and -reading are more widespread across eras, cultures, and personal development stages than has generally been recognized. The investigators hope that the current work will lay a foundation for further study of how people learn to construct and to read maps.
