The Effects of Individual Factors on the Formation of Cognitive Maps

Authors

  • Zahra Alinam

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2017.18

Keywords:

Cognitive map, individual factors, neighborhood, Tabriz

Abstract

Human’s weakened bond to residential areas, compromised identity and stability of residents in residential areas, have resulted in higher rate of transfer. Individual and collective understanding of the environment could be seen as a major force in shaping that environment through the action of human choices and behavior. In this regard, Cognitive maps are of great theoretical and practical importance for understanding how humans interact with their environment.

This research is aimed to investigate the effects of the individual factors on the formation of cognitive maps in the neighborhood. Research seeks to answer the question: "How and to what extent the individual factors affect the cognitive and metal maps of the residents in the neighborhood?" Research is a combination of qualitative (interview) and quantitative (questionnaire) methods which is conducted on 297 residents of a neighborhood in the city of Tabriz.

Results indicate that individual characteristics such as gender, age, occupational status, housing ownership status, length of residence, transport mode and duration of walking have a significant relationship within the formation of three components of cognitive map (landmark, route-road and survey knowledge). Educational status is the only variable that does not interact significantly with the cognition knowledge of the neighborhood. Achievement of this research is to introduce the effective individual factors in the formation of cognitive and mental image within the neighborhood and effectiveness rate of each in this process.

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Author Biography

Zahra Alinam

Zahra Alinam, is a Ph.D. student in Islamic urbanism at Tabriz Islamic Art University, Iran. She is a member of Iran's National Elites Foundation since 2013. She has participated in several major governmental projects as an architect and urban designer. She is also a lecturer in the undergraduate and graduate levels at several universities of Iran and has different articles and researches on key issues of urban design with a cognitive psychological approach. Her Master thesis entitled" Place Attachment in Neighborhood: A Cognitive Psychological Approach", was a research-based project discussing an interdisciplinary topic between the fields of Urban Design and Psychology. She was granted with Exceptional Talented Student Advantage to enter Ph.D. program in Islamic Urbanism in 2015 and continues to research the urban concepts in the field of cognitive psychology and neuroscience for her doctoral thesis.

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Published

30-06-2017

How to Cite

Alinam, Z. (2017). The Effects of Individual Factors on the Formation of Cognitive Maps. ICONARP International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 5(1), 134–150. https://doi.org/10.15320/ICONARP.2017.18

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2017)

Section

Articles

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