ABSTRACT
Cartographic researchers using eye tracking have found that there are influences of both the design of the map and the map task on visual attentive behaviour. In Arthur Robinson's view, scientific cartography existed to transmit scientific information from a scientist to the map user. Gestalt theory is a psychological theory that proposes a series of graphical characteristics that lead to the perception of grouped elements; cartographically, the grouping of map symbols into different planes of visual hierarchy. As a discipline concerned with the study of human behaviour and mental processes, psychology investigates topics such as perception and cognition, among others. A significant new approach for understanding cognitive processes was the use of eye tracking to identify where visual attention was or was not focused on the map. Cognitive processes and strategies include things like knowing where to look within a display, and interpreting information found within a map based on other knowledge stored in long-term memory.
