Cognitive Research

Scale

Scale (the geometric correspondence between actual referent space and the geographical visualization) is a key factor in learning, whatever type of place representation is under study. If students have not yet developed personal frames of reference, unfamiliar features in satellite or shuttle photographs, false color images, or maps remain mysterious. While scale has traditionally been an essential feature in cartography, new geographical visualizations and visualization tools which introduce ways of "seeing" and knowing geographical referent spaces inherit this raditional scale dimension. Of central concern is how visualization tools such as zooming and automatic scale bars can help students to better comprehend the referent space in geographical visualizations?

Findings: The scale in geographical representations can be confusing for students, especially when they lack familiarity with the referent space and place contained within. Students below the age of ten employ "intuitive" measuring tools, one moment noting objects impossible to see from great distances (white caps in the ocean from an Apollo 17 photograph) and moments later commenting on large panoramic views and contours of the Earth. Younger students often attribute responsibility for the contents of an image to a single factor, (such as camera distance or area), rather than entertaining that a multiplicity of factors have contributed. Experiences working with multiple representations of the same location can provide the scaffolding required for students to further develop their "intuitive" measuring tools, and construct their personal frames of reference.