Q2 - To what extent do you think that mental maps can adequately convey what we understand about place (2020)?? by John McKendrick

Asha Kulthum

k_asha — 2020-01-23 12:36:01 UTC

Mental maps can adequately convey what we understand about place because it enables us to think back to an area or place and identify what made us remember and take an interest in a
place, this is done in other to convey what is important and what we can understand about the place.

Hmm...

2020-01-23 12:38:41 UTC

With mental maps, a place becomes more than a home to us, it almost becomes a part of us, almost like we are living through it and this is feeling and an experience that cannot be taken away from you. All major 6 senses should awaken immediately when asked to mentally map a location because in that situation, one should almost see themselves in that location they are asked to map. One should hear the sounds of whatever commotion goes on there, one should feel the type of wind across their skin like they are there, one should smell the uniqueness of that location in just that one moment they are asked to make a mental map and if that does not occur immediately, then are you really living the full experience?

Beza

b_shiferaw — 2020-01-23 12:39:55 UTC

I would say it depends on the place and the purpose of the usage of the mental maps. For instance, if you asked me to make a mental map of my hometown, simply because I am so familiar with the place, I would produce a highly detailed map as my output. Because of that, while you will be able to deduce that I have a high understanding of the place, i am doubtful that you would be able to get a sense of my experience in particular within the city; it would be shaped more like a regular political map. i think the fact that I know Mauritius from such a niche perspective now enables the mental maps I have produced to serve as a lens to my experience in Mauritius and Port Louis in a way that it could have maybe not done so had I been a local

laxmi

l_thanki — 2020-01-23 13:31:08 UTC

I feel as though mental maps are limiting especially with regards to the representation of our other senses besides sight. Much of a place may be attributed by smells, sounds etc.
In a mental map, i like to believe that there are only a few things one can accurately depict: scenery etc. Thus, mental maps are only an adequate means to convey our impression of a place with only pictures.

m_nyoike — 2020-01-23 14:00:40 UTC

Coming into the activity, I was not fully confident that I could completely draw a suitable map of either Mauritius or Port Louis. However mind maps are meant to portray how you view and feel about a certain place. Yes, they wont always be as clear and concise as an actual map but the represent personal representations of one in place through the eyes of different people.

Anastasia:

2020-01-23 14:54:51 UTC

I think that mental maps can adequately convey our understanding of places once we stopped thinking about the geographical representativeness of the map. Once we forget about this it becomes easier to focus on the task at hand and to draw a place according to the feelings it awakens in us such as amazement or excitement. I also came to the realization that mental maps are actually a good tool to identify what other people consider important in their lives for instance some people had mental maps revolving around places of enjoyment. This could hint at the importance of enjoyment, relaxation or escape. Hence it can be a good tool to learn about someone

Amy Gathui:

a_gathui — 2020-01-23 15:11:51 UTC

Mental maps help in what I learned a while back about objective and subjective understanding and knowledge. Although they are not precise locations, they help provide me with rough estimates of specific places. Or I am even looking at the country as a whole, with buildings, geographical features that I saw with the rest of my peers with those that focused on landscapes such as the surrounding ocean, the beaches...etc. But it also helped me provide a general sense of locational understanding if let's say I ever was to get lost I can be more aware of where I am and hopefully find my way back to a place I know and am familiar with. Esspecially with my peers, seeing the variety of thinngs that deemed inportant to them, from their passion of movement and travel through their additions of the airport and roads, I found this particularly interesting because of also others interests in monuments, or banks, parks, or tourist destinations.

Mental Maps only shows the places one might have visited or heard about. It does't distinguish between places people know much about or have just heard about in passing. It doesn't question why some places are significant and doesn't consider places that might have been forgotten in the moment of making the mental maps.

a_norris2 — 2020-01-23 16:18:31 UTC

Amy Okletey:

2020-01-23 16:21:44 UTC

By looking at everyone's maps, I realized that there can sometimes be a disconnect between what we think about 'place' geographically versus what this actually means to us as people. I think this is why mental maps adequately represent our understanding of this word, place. In my case, my map of Port Louis did not represent the city accurately in a geographical sense, but it highlighted the duality, in terms of landscape, that I see I every time I visit Port Louis.

Elsie Akeyo:

2020-01-23 16:55:58 UTC

Taking from my experience whilst mapping my mental map of both Mauritius and Port Louis, I can say that mental maps are a good representation of what you can remember from visiting a space, where you went and what you did. On the other hand, mental maps are not the best at showing ones understanding of anything especially a place. In this light I don’t think that mental maps are the best way to study one’s understanding of a place.

Riana Marie ANDRIANJAFY

2020-01-23 17:13:52 UTC

Riana

First, mental map shows what we know about the place.
Secondly, mental map can help us to know which place do we have to visit.
However, we had a problem but this lacks details (history, resident population)

Kate

m_rambolama — 2020-01-23 17:33:54 UTC

I think mental maps can give people great insights about our understanding of a place. Of course, it is possible to see from the level of detail of a place how well the drawer knows that particular place. Then from there, insights about how the drawer views said place can be drawn. If, for example, I were to draw Mauritius' malls and parks with much detail as opposed to bureaus or educational institutions which would probably just be basic shapes, it could be inferred that I see Mauritius more as a place for fun and entertainment rather than a study place.

Tout Est Grace M.

2020-01-24 10:54:33 UTC

Given that one relies solely on their memory in order to create a mental map, I believe it is indeed a good way of conveying what we understand about places.

My own experience while working on both mental maps informs me of this. The presence of the Indian Ocean was really significant in both drawings because the understanding of Mauritius' geographical location and of the fact that it is an island was strongly present in my mind and I reflected it in my designs.