Mental Maps

Humans memorize information about places, regions, paths, etc. in their brain. This information is used for daily tasks, e.g. finding the way to school from home or giving driving directions. Although nobody has seen how the information is organized and stored in the human brain, scientists talk about a "mental map".

A mental map can best be explained as a visual display, inside a person's head, showing where a person has traveled. A mental map shows what the person knows about the location and the uniqueness of a place. No mental map is alike. Every human has his or her own mental map.

Ask you friends to make a sketch of the neighborhood you live in. Most likely all of the drawn "mental maps" will look different.


	Mental Maps
Humans memorize information about places, regions, paths, etc. in their brain. This information is used for daily tasks, e.g. finding the way to school from home or giving driving directions. Although nobody has seen how the information is organized and stored in the human brain, scientists talk about a "mental map". A mental map can best be explained as a visual display, inside a person's head, showing where a person has traveled. A mental map shows what the person knows about the location and the uniqueness of a place. No mental map is alike. Every human has his or her own mental map. Ask you friends to make a sketch of the neighborhood you live in. Most likely all of the drawn "mental maps" will look different.