Kitchin, R.M. and Jacobson, R.D. (1997) Techniques to
collect and analyze the cognitive map knowledge of people with visual
impairments or blindness: Issues of validity. Journal of Visual Impairment
and Blindness. July-August, 360-376.
Abstract
This article is an assessment of a variety of techniques used by researchers in the fields of geography, psychology, urban planning, and cognitive science to collect and analyze data on how people with visual impairment or blindness learn, understand, and think about geographic space. The authors concluded that these techniques and their results need to be used cautiously. They also made recommendations for increasing the validity of future studies, including the use of multiple, mutually supportive tests; larger sample sizes, and movement from the laboratory to realworld environments.