SHAPE IN REVEALED MENTAL MAPS.

Shape is an integral part of the spatial information contained in mental maps. A central problem in isolating shape representations in revealed mental maps is to expunge the measurement effects we incorporate into the data during analysis. Using two independent data sets derived from portrayed shapes of Africa, factor analytic tests indicate that we can separate measurement error from systematic misrepresentations of the African shape. Independently derived factor structures reflect the tendency for subjects to represent the shape of Africa as a regular geometric form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]