Showing papers by "Rob Kitchin published in 2000"

Mapping Cyberspace

Abstract: From the Publisher: "Space is central to our lives. Because of this, much attention is directed at understanding and explaining the geographic world. Mapping Cyberspace is a book, which extends this analysis to provide a geographic exploration and critical reading of cyberspace and information and communication technologies. Mapping Cyberspace: provides an understanding of what cyberspace looks like and the social interactions that take place there; explores the impacts of cyberspace, and information and communication technologies, on cultural, political and economic relations; charts the spatialities, spatial forms and space-time relations of virtual spaces; and details empirical research and examines a wide variety of maps and spatialisations of cyberspace and the information society." "Mapping Cyberspace draws together the findings and theories of researchers from geography, cartography, sociology, cultural studies, computer-mediated communications, information visualisation, literary theory and cognitive psychology. It is illustrated with over fifty black and white illustrations and a colour plate section. This book will be a valuable addition to the growing body of literature on cyberspace and what it means for the future."--BOOK JACKET.

The Researched Opinions on Research: disabled people and disability research

Abstract: Thirty-five disabled people with a range of physical, sensory and mental impairments were interviewed about (1) their experiences of research; (2) their general opinions concerning research; (3) whether they thought research had served/was serving disabled people well; (4) how research on disability should be conducted; (5) who should conduct research on disability; and, finally, (6) what they would like to be researched. In this paper, the results of aspects two to five are reported. It was found that the opinions of disabled people mirror quite strongly the recent arguments forwarded by disabled academics concerning the need for emancipatory and empowering research strategies. In particular, the respondents articulated a need for inclusive, action-based research strategies, where disabled people are involved as consultants and partners not just as research subjects, There were few arguments, however, for an exclusive approach, where disability research would be conducted solely by researchers who were t...

Cognitive Maps, Spatial Abilities, and Human Wayfinding

Abstract: In this paper we discuss the relations between cognitive maps, spatial abilities and human wayfinding, particularly in the context of traveling without the use of sight. Initially we discuss the nature of cognitive maps and the process of cognitive mapping as mechanisms for developing person to object (egocentric) and object to object (allocentric) internal representations. Imperfections in encoding either relations can introduce imperfections in representations of environments in memory. This, together with individual differences in human spatial abilities, can result in data manipulations that produce error. When information stored in long term memory is brought into working memory for purposes of decision making and choice behavior (as in route selection), the result may be the selection of an inefficient or incorrect path. We explore the connection between environmental learning and cognitive maps in the context of learning a route in two different cultural environments-Belfast (Northern Ireland) and Santa Barbara (California). Blind, vision impaired, and sighted volunteers traveled and learned routes of approximately the same length (1.2miles) in their respective urban environments. An initial trial was experimenter guided; three following trials were regarded as “test” trials where the participants learned the route and performed route fixing tasks including pointing between designated places, verbally describing the route after each completion, and building a model of the route using metallic strips on a magnetic board. Results indicated that by the end of the third test trial, and using the reinforcing strategies, the results of the blind or vision impaired participants could not be statistically differentiated from those of the sighted participants. This indicated that the wayfinding abilities of the three groups were equivalent in this experiment and suggested that spatial abilities were potentially the same in each group but that lack of sight interfered with putting knowledge into action.

Disability, Geography and Ethics

Abstract: In recent years geographers have started to re-engage with issues of exclusion, social justice and moral philosophy, first explored by radical geographers in the 1970s. This re-engagement parallels the rapid growth in the 1990s of feminist and critical geographies. Geographers within these traditions have focused their attention on the intersection of issues such as identity, difference and space, and the ways in which socio-spatial processes reproduce material and non-material inequalities. Empirical and theoretical work has focused on a range of specific issues such as gender (patriarchy), race (racism), sexuality (homophobia) and class. To this list has recently been added disability (ableism). However, most critical geography research has concentrated on examining the production and maintenance of geographies of social exclusion. Only a small number of studies have engaged directly with these issues in the context of specific theories of social justice and moral philosophy, which are seemingly taken for granted (see Smith, 1994, 1997). One area where these ideas have been applied is in relation to data generation, where there has been a concern for research ethics and the power relationship between researcher and researched. For example, a number of articles have been published exploring issues such as production and situatedness of knowledge, representativeness, reflexivity, empowerment, emancipation, critical praxis and positionality, and how these might be best addressed (e.g. Katz, 1992; Robinson, 1994; Rose, 1997). In the collection of short position papers gathered here, the theme of ethics and moral philosophy is explicitly examined in relation to geography (as a research practice and institutional endeavour) and the lives of disabled people.

The future of cognitive mapping research

Abstract: As detailed in the chapters in this book, cognitive mapping research has developed over the past forty years into a vibrant and multidisciplinary field of study, with several discernible sub-fields. Whilst the studies that compose the body of cognitive mapping research provide both breadth and depth, it is clear that there are still many facets of spatial knowledge that remain unexamined or are in need of further investigation. Indeed, the volume of research within each sub-field is highly uneven, with some focuses receiving a disproportionate amount of attention. Moreover, most sub-fields are characterized by a set of divergent and competing findings and theories, each seeking to adequately explain how we learn, store, process and use spatial knowledge. Each of the contributors to this volume detailed a specific future agenda to address questions so far left unexplored or inadequately answered. In this final chapter we collate, ross-reference and add to their suggestions for future research to provide a comprehensive agenda that will help guide cognitive mapping research as we enter the new millennium. We have divided our discussion into three main sections: theoretical, methodological, application.

The Tail of the Tiger: Experiences and perceptions of unemployment and inactivity in Donegal

Abstract: The experiences and perceptions ofregistered and ‘hidden’ unemployed people in Donegal are explored through an examination of survey data collected from 620 respondents between May and August 1997. This data set, consisting of both quantitative and qualitative information, is valuable because it explores unemployment and possible solutions from unemployed people's perspectives, and also investigates ‘hidden’ unemployment. It also provides some insights into social exclusion and the extent to which the ‘Celtic Tiger’ has benefited all parts of Irish society. Analyses are restricted to the quantitative aspects of the dataset and the discussion is divided into three main themes: labour market histories and experiences of unemployment; education and training; and perceptions of the labour market. In the last section of the paper the various findings are drawn together and summary recommendations are made concerning the actions that local agencies, as opposed to central Government, might undertake in order to ...