A QUANTITATIVE-COMPARATIVE APPROACH TO ANALYSIS OF DISTORTION IN MENTAL MAPS

A quantitative procedure for analyzing and comparing distortion in mental maps is presented. Using a microcomputer and digitizer, and by developing a distortion index, comparisons are made by direct analysis of mental maps. A case study of the mental maps of Israel of high school and university students showed a tendency to generalize shape to simple geometric forms, with foreshortening of north-south lines and exaggeration of east-west distances.