Simonet M, Vater C, Abati C, Zhong S, Mavros P, Schwering A, Raubal M, Hölscher C, Krukar J
Chair of Cognitive Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
Institute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Cogn Res Princ Implic. 2025 Sep 3;10(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s41235-025-00667-w.
Cognitive maps are mental representations of space essential for guiding spatial behavior. To assess the properties of these cognitive maps, sketch mapping has been widely used as a research tool in spatial cognition research. This scoping review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the methodologies and the cognitive processes concerning the externalization of cognitive maps through sketch mapping. Following the PRISMA-ScR checklist (Tricco et al. in Ann Intern Med 169(7):467-473, 2018, https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850 ), a comprehensive search from five electronic databases was performed with predefined combinations of keywords. Twenty-four articles were selected and analyzed, covering a wide range of methods: traditional pen-and-paper sketching (n = 18 studies); combination of pen-and-paper and digital sketching (n = 1); exclusively digital sketching (n = 4); and digital VR sketching (n = 1). With regard to the formation of cognitive maps in environmental scale spaces, studies employed either direct experience or virtual experience of unfamiliar environments, videos, maps, or retrieval from own memory. This review highlights the inherent conflict between sketch maps' advantages in capturing knowledge in less structured experimental protocols and researchers' need for structured quantification of their quality, as well as the underused diversity of media through which sketch maps can be produced for appropriate scenarios. We encourage researchers to (a) increase the precision in reporting the cognitive processes being investigated with sketch maps (e.g., short-term vs. long-term memory), (b) rely on established data analysis methods instead of developing custom measures for each study, and (c) consider alternative media beyond pen and paper when more suitable to the experimental context.
认知地图是指导空间行为所必需的空间心理表征。为了评估这些认知地图的特性，草图绘制已被广泛用作空间认知研究的一种研究工具。本综述旨在全面概述通过草图绘制实现认知地图外化的方法和认知过程。遵循PRISMA-ScR清单（Tricco等人，《内科学年鉴》，2018年，第169卷，第7期，第467 - 473页，https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850 ），使用预定义的关键词组合对五个电子数据库进行了全面搜索。共筛选并分析了24篇文章，涵盖了广泛的方法：传统的纸笔草图绘制（n = 18项研究）；纸笔与数字草图绘制相结合（n = 1项）；纯数字草图绘制（n = 4项）；以及数字虚拟现实草图绘制（n = 1项）。关于环境尺度空间中认知地图的形成，研究采用了对不熟悉环境的直接体验或虚拟体验、视频、地图或从自身记忆中检索等方式。本综述强调了草图绘制在非结构化实验方案中获取知识方面的优势与研究人员对其质量进行结构化量化的需求之间的内在冲突，以及在适当场景下可用于生成草图绘制的媒体多样性未得到充分利用的情况。我们鼓励研究人员：（a）提高报告用草图绘制所研究的认知过程（例如短期记忆与长期记忆）的精确性；（b）依靠既定的数据分析方法，而非为每项研究开发定制的测量方法；（c）在更适合实验背景时，考虑除纸笔之外的其他媒体。
