892 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 990 



this type, which should include different parts 

 of a large city as well as different localities in 

 the country. 



The map of E. F. H. represents a note- 

 worthy case of Type B, but probably not un- 

 common. His average deviation (for distant 

 places) at 116th Street in the City of New 

 York is 156° west, the average variation of 

 the mean of one set of observations of four 

 distant places being only 5°. At 42d Street in 

 the same city, his imaginary map is about 90° 

 wrong, that is, the deviation is 90°, and at 

 14th Street the imaginary map disappears. 

 Likewise his orientation is 90° wrong at Tor- 

 onto, Canada, correct at Chicago, and nearly 

 correct in country districts away from cities. 

 Mr. E. F. H. is almost always confused as to 

 the direction toward his home when coming 

 out of theaters and often when coming out of 

 subways. 



Type C. — Those who imagine north as 

 directly in front of them. Thus the deviation 

 of the imaginary map is determined entirely 

 by the direction in which they may be facing, 

 the east being at the right hand, the west left 

 hand. The imaginary map is consistent, that 

 is, all places have nearly the correct relation 

 to the north, and turns with the subject. 

 (Common type.) 



Type D. — Those to whom all distant points 

 lie either toward the west or toward the east. 

 For example hoth Madrid and San Francisco 

 appear to lie to the west from an individual of 

 this class residing in New York City., (Two 

 well-defined cases.) 



Type E. — Those who think of far distant 

 points in approximately the correct direction, 

 but to whom distant countries appear rotated. 

 For example, to one individual while England 

 appears in approximately the correct direc- 

 tion from New York, the entire British Islands 

 are rotated about 180° ; both the English 

 Channel and France appearing to lie to the 

 north of the British Isles. (One case.) 



Type F. — Those who have an imaginary 

 map that differs consistently about 20-40 

 degrees from the correct one, apparently due 

 to the influence of the direction of certain 

 rivers and streets which for one reason and 

 another have had a marked orientation influ- 



ence on the subject. (Several eases.) It is 

 possible that this is the same as type A, yet 

 the cause of the confusion appears to be 

 different. 



Type G. — Those having an imaginary map 

 that always makes certain streets in every city 

 exactly north and south, others exactly east 

 and west, with all diagonal streets 45°, as if 

 lying northeast and southwest, or northwest 

 and southeast. (Several cases.) 



Another type is that of a person who has 

 had an imaginary map, but who has gradually 

 overcome it by education. In one case the 

 subject had an imaginary map for four years 

 while at college. At the present time in 

 various cities, he is usually confused when 

 coming out of theaters, etc., and it is possible 

 that the former imaginary map is still latent 

 and is frequently a source of confusion. 

 There are other features of imaginary maps 

 that do not so directly bear on the question of 

 orientation. For example, there is one indi- 

 vidual who always thinks of, or visualizes 

 Europe as if it were but 20 to 40 miles off the 

 Atlantic coast. Then, of course, the majority 

 of people think of distant places as points on a 

 plane, no allowance being made for the curva- 

 ture of the earth. 



Explanation and Importance of Imaginary 

 Maps. — All of the above types, A-G, are taken 

 fi"om actual cases, the subjects being as a rule 

 of very high type of intellectuality, university 

 professors, graduate students, etc. The expla- 

 nation which seems to be the most plausible 

 one to account for this so-called " imaginary 

 map," is the persistence of early erroneous im- 

 pressions concerning the direction of far dis- 

 tant places with respect to the home, the mis- 

 taken ideas arising from various causes. These 

 impressions apparently take a firm hold during 

 childhood. The matter is of some importance, 

 since it accounts in a measure for the readiness 

 of man to be confused with respect to a new 

 environment, and to become " lost " in the 

 woods or in any maze-like surrounding. An 

 example of a practical bearing is as follows: 

 The matter has a pertinent relation to the 

 training of children who are to become soldiers, 

 especially in countries where standing armies 

 are maintained. In times of war, it is not im- 



