Cognition of urban space and navigation by the handicapped

自1965年美国地理学家协会在哥伦布、俄亥俄州举行的会议以来，英语行为地理学家在福斯特多学科研究方面取得了很大的进展，特别是心理学家。日本地理学家还没有进行过这样的试验。这是日本地理学家和心理学家之间的第一个合作项目。研究目标、想法和方法跨越学科边界的交叉-fertilliization并不容易，但我们可以加深对项目的依赖。生态方法是关键。Recent ecological turn in psychology has broadened psychologists' concern to geManagement ical space from narrow laboratory.Now geographers and psychologists can share same interests in geographical space。地理空间对空间识别和导航的影响是如何和什么？为了研究这一问题，我们将重点放在日本城市空间中克服空间识别和导航的人们上：残疾人、外国人和儿童。我们还研究了空间认知的性别/性别差异，我们计划在2000年日本地理学家协会举行春季会议的研讨会。以下是我们在研讨会上的论文标题：·探索地理和心理学之间的水果链接·关于被处理人员的空间认知和行为的笔记：走向地理和心理学家之间的对话·女性会失去自己的道路吗？空间认知的性/性别差异的起源·没有视觉的定位行为：失明和视觉上受到影响的方向和流动性·日本-巴西人对空间知识获取的研究·生活在日本的外国人之间的定位差异·对儿童在地理上发展空间认知的研究：来自Piagetian理论的上下文方法-来自儿童的建议的市中心的几个障碍

Since the 1965 Association of American Geographers' conference in Columbus, Ohio, anglophone behavioral geographers have worked hard to foster multidisciplinary research, with psychologists in particular. However there have not been such trials by Japanese geographers yet. This is the first collaboration project between geographers and psychologists in Japan. The cross-fertilization of research aims, ideas, and methodologies across disciplinary boundaries is not easy, but we could deepen reciprocal understanding trough the project. Ecological approach is the key. Recent ecological turn in psychology has broadened psychologists' concern to geographical space from narrow laboratory.Now geographers and psychologists can share same interests in geographical space. How and what in geographical space affects spatial cognition and navigation? In order to explore this question, we focus on the people who suffer handicap in spatial cognition and navigation in Japanese urban space : the disabled, foreigners, and children. We also investigate the sex/gender-differences of spatial cognition.We plan the symposium in the association of Japanese Geographers' spring conference in 2000. The followings are our paper titles in the symposium :・ Exploring the fruitful links between geography and psychology・ Notes on the spatial cognition and behavior of handicapped persons : toward a dialogue between geographers and psychologists・ Are females apt to lose their way? The origin of the sex/gender-differences of spatial cognition・ Wayfinding behavior without vision : orientation and mobility of the blind and visually impaired・ A study of spatial knowledge acquisition by Japanese-Brazilian・ Wayfinding difficulties among foreign people who live in Japan・ The research of children's development of spatial cognition on geography : from Piagetian theory contextual approach・ The several barriers in a downtown from the children's suggestion