|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
Environmental research theory distinguishes between two types of environmental knowledge: route knowledge and configurational knowledge (e.g., Evans, 1980; Golledge, 1987). Route knowledge includes important landmarks in the environment, the routes connecting them and the order of route turns (relational directions such as right, left, straight ahead) in wayfinding. Configurational knowledge refers to a more "global" representation of the environment according to an Euclidean reference system. Cardinal directions and metric distances serve as coordinates to map spatial relationships among distinctive locations within a network of routes (Gilding, Lindberg, Carreiras, & Book, 1986). There has been much discussion about the developmental course of environmental knowledge, both ontogenetically and microgenetically. Siegel and White (1975) proposed that environmental learning and development follow a series of stages from landmark knowledge to route knowledge and finally to survey (i.e., configurational) knowledge. Whereas the results of some studies support this model (Cohen & Schuepfer, 1980; Evans, 1980; Evans, Marrero, & Butler, 1981), other studies show that route knowledge can be acquired prior to landmark knowledge (Garling, Book, Lindberg, & Nilsson, 1981) or even without landmarks at all (Allen, 1988). Moreover, survey knowledge can already be acquired during the initial period of an environmental learning task (Holding & Holding, 1989; Montello & Pick, 1993). This controversy led to the assumption that different information processing systems, rather than one general mechanism, underlie environmental learning. The current question of environmental research is how these processes interact or may be referred to alternatively by different subjects and under different conditions. For example, a mapping task allows a person to collect information simultaneously about an environment and thus probably facilitates the acquisition of configurational knowledge, such as metric distances and cardinal directions (Evans & Pezdek, 1980). In a wayfinding task, environmental information is available only step by step through traveling and a person may focus on memorizing the sequence of route directions and landmarks (Galea & Kimura, 1993; Ward, Newcombe, & Overton, 1986).
Approximate Word count = 1222
Approximate Pages = 4.9
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|