**2.4 Districts**

There are four areas that carry the characteristics of a district at the campus as shown in **Table 6**. These are the rectorate square surrounded by the rectorate, library, and conference halls, the bazaar where the cafes and restaurants are located, the ceremonial square where official ceremonies are held, and the ATM square where all the cash machines of the banks (ATM) can be used.

When cognitive maps were evaluated in districts, Rectorate Square is stated with highest ratio both at first grade students' and fourth grade students' cognitive maps. The reason why the Rectorate Square is drawn more is that the library and the rectorate building, where the student affairs and data processing departments are located, are frequently used by students. In addition, the Rectorate Square is located next to the green path that is most commonly drawn on cognitive maps.

In the cognitive maps after the Rectorate Square, the first grades drew Bazaar Square and Ceremonial Square; the fourth grades drew Ceremonial Square, Bazaar Square, and ATM Square, respectively. The reason why the first grade students did not draw ATM Square in cognitive maps was that all the ATM were moved to the Bazaar Square 1 year before their arrival at the campus. In this context, despite the fact that it is a large area with parking and green spaces and is located on the most expressed green path in cognitive maps, ATM Square was not drawn by the first grade students. The reason for this is thought to be that they could not establish a semantic relationship in their minds about the field.

The Bazaar Square across the Department of Foreign languages, in which both groups of students were educated, ranked second in the cognitive maps of the first grade and third in the fourth grade. The Ceremonial Square is included in the cognitive maps of both groups, because it is located in node C, where the most drawn green and red paths intersect. In the fourth grade, the reason why ceremonial square is drawn more than the bazaar is that they spend less time in the Bazaar and see more Ceremonial Square in the last 3 years. In addition, when the data is evaluated, it is seen that the female students in the fourth grade remember the rectorate, ceremonial, and bazaar squares and the first grade female students remember the bazaar more than the male students.

#### **2.5 Landmarks**

Landmarks are structures that determine the identity of the urban area, have a high potential for users to remember, and help people to navigate. There are

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female students did.

*Assessment of Perception of Physical Environment in the Context of Cognitive Maps…*

12 buildings in the Meselik Campus that conform to the definition of landmark as shown in **Figure 1**: amphitheater, two gateways, Central Bazaar, Sports Hall, Dumlupınar Dorms, Rectorate-Library-Congress Hall Complex, hospital, and bus-

The hospital is an important landmark for both the city and the campus as it is located at the entrance of the campus, being the highest building of the campus and being used by the city in general. In this context, the hospital ranked 94.59% in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade and ranked fourth in the cognitive maps of the first grade. The reason why the first grade students rank the hospital as the landmark in fourth place is that they have shown the most commonly used areas in

The complex consisting of the rectorate, library, and congress center was in second place in both groups due to the fact that it contains the functions frequently used by the students and is located above the green main artery which is highly

Another important landmark is the mosque which is highly perceptible as it is located at the entrance of the campus, differs in architecture from other buildings, and attracts attention as a place of worship. This landmark, like the hospital building, has a high rate in cognitive maps of the fourth grade and a lower rate in the first grade. However, both the hospital and the mosque were drawn more in the cognitive

Gateways are shown by both groups of students. However, as previously mentioned in the nodes, depending on the intensity of use, higher levels of hospital gateways were shown in the cognitive maps of the first grade, and new gateways

Sports Hall is shown by the first-rate female and male students at a similar rate, with 57.14% by the fourth grade male students and 26.09% by the female students, which is an interesting example in terms of having the highest ratio difference between landmarks. The reason for this is that the fourth grade male students

Amphitheater and the stadium have low expression rates in both student groups between landmarks. One of the reasons for this is that the stadium is located in the farthest part of the campus and the amphitheater cannot be perceived because it is surrounded by walls. The second reason is that these places were not used by the students. In addition, male students did not show the amphitheater in the cognitive maps of the first grade students, and some of the

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90660*

tram stops located in and around the campus area.

*District expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

the campus more on cognitive maps as seen in **Table 7**.

maps of the first grade students than the other landmarks.

were shown in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade.

frequently use the football fields at Sports Hall.

drawn in the cognitive maps.

**Table 6.**

**Table 5.** *Edge expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

*Assessment of Perception of Physical Environment in the Context of Cognitive Maps… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90660*

**Table 6.** *District expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

*Cognitive and Intermedial Semiotics*

bazaar more than the male students.

*Edge expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

**2.5 Landmarks**

There are four areas that carry the characteristics of a district at the campus as shown in **Table 6**. These are the rectorate square surrounded by the rectorate, library, and conference halls, the bazaar where the cafes and restaurants are located, the ceremonial square where official ceremonies are held, and the ATM square

When cognitive maps were evaluated in districts, Rectorate Square is stated with highest ratio both at first grade students' and fourth grade students' cognitive maps. The reason why the Rectorate Square is drawn more is that the library and the rectorate building, where the student affairs and data processing departments are located, are frequently used by students. In addition, the Rectorate Square is located

In the cognitive maps after the Rectorate Square, the first grades drew Bazaar

The Bazaar Square across the Department of Foreign languages, in which both groups of students were educated, ranked second in the cognitive maps of the first grade and third in the fourth grade. The Ceremonial Square is included in the cognitive maps of both groups, because it is located in node C, where the most drawn green and red paths intersect. In the fourth grade, the reason why ceremonial square is drawn more than the bazaar is that they spend less time in the Bazaar and see more Ceremonial Square in the last 3 years. In addition, when the data is evaluated, it is seen that the female students in the fourth grade remember the rectorate, ceremonial, and bazaar squares and the first grade female students remember the

Landmarks are structures that determine the identity of the urban area, have a high potential for users to remember, and help people to navigate. There are

next to the green path that is most commonly drawn on cognitive maps.

Square and Ceremonial Square; the fourth grades drew Ceremonial Square, Bazaar Square, and ATM Square, respectively. The reason why the first grade students did not draw ATM Square in cognitive maps was that all the ATM were moved to the Bazaar Square 1 year before their arrival at the campus. In this context, despite the fact that it is a large area with parking and green spaces and is located on the most expressed green path in cognitive maps, ATM Square was not drawn by the first grade students. The reason for this is thought to be that they

could not establish a semantic relationship in their minds about the field.

where all the cash machines of the banks (ATM) can be used.

**2.4 Districts**

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**Table 5.**

12 buildings in the Meselik Campus that conform to the definition of landmark as shown in **Figure 1**: amphitheater, two gateways, Central Bazaar, Sports Hall, Dumlupınar Dorms, Rectorate-Library-Congress Hall Complex, hospital, and bustram stops located in and around the campus area.

The hospital is an important landmark for both the city and the campus as it is located at the entrance of the campus, being the highest building of the campus and being used by the city in general. In this context, the hospital ranked 94.59% in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade and ranked fourth in the cognitive maps of the first grade. The reason why the first grade students rank the hospital as the landmark in fourth place is that they have shown the most commonly used areas in the campus more on cognitive maps as seen in **Table 7**.

The complex consisting of the rectorate, library, and congress center was in second place in both groups due to the fact that it contains the functions frequently used by the students and is located above the green main artery which is highly drawn in the cognitive maps.

Another important landmark is the mosque which is highly perceptible as it is located at the entrance of the campus, differs in architecture from other buildings, and attracts attention as a place of worship. This landmark, like the hospital building, has a high rate in cognitive maps of the fourth grade and a lower rate in the first grade. However, both the hospital and the mosque were drawn more in the cognitive maps of the first grade students than the other landmarks.

Gateways are shown by both groups of students. However, as previously mentioned in the nodes, depending on the intensity of use, higher levels of hospital gateways were shown in the cognitive maps of the first grade, and new gateways were shown in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade.

Sports Hall is shown by the first-rate female and male students at a similar rate, with 57.14% by the fourth grade male students and 26.09% by the female students, which is an interesting example in terms of having the highest ratio difference between landmarks. The reason for this is that the fourth grade male students frequently use the football fields at Sports Hall.

Amphitheater and the stadium have low expression rates in both student groups between landmarks. One of the reasons for this is that the stadium is located in the farthest part of the campus and the amphitheater cannot be perceived because it is surrounded by walls. The second reason is that these places were not used by the students. In addition, male students did not show the amphitheater in the cognitive maps of the first grade students, and some of the female students did.

**Table 7.** *Landmark expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

#### **2.6 Other expressions**

In the study, all components that do not meet the definition of urban image components in cognitive maps are evaluated in **Table 8** under the heading of other expressions. In this context, the rate of processing of other buildings which are not landmark but located in the campus is in the first place in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade and second in the cognitive maps of the first grade. On the other hand, life experiences rank first in the cognitive maps of the first grades and second in the fourth grades.

Life experience classification has been created, because users embody the places they use instantaneously or continuously and the good or bad memories they live in their cognitive maps. In both groups, female students processed life experiences more in cognitive maps than male students. In the cognitive maps of the fourth grade, it is thought that the reason that other buildings function more than life experiences is that they draw the area in the form of a site plan due to architectural education. Also, for the same reason, unused land and recreation and construction sites were not included in the cognitive maps of the first grade, but were included in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade.

Erasmus Registration Office, which is the liaison office for overseas education, is shown on cognitive maps of the fourth grade, not on the cognitive maps of the first grade. This is due to the fact that fourth grade students visit the building frequently in order to study abroad.

#### **2.7 Expression techniques**

In order to evaluate the effect of architectural education in the transfer of the places remembered in mind to cognitive maps by drawing, the representation techniques in cognitive maps were determined in both groups and are shown in **Table 9**. As a result of the evaluation, in the context of the expression of the field, 27.58% of the first grade students and 83.79% of the fourth grade students benefited from the black, white, or colored site plan drawings.

Both two- and three-dimensional expression techniques were used to express the structure and structure groups. The first grade students used the 2D facade drawings at a rate of 5.17%, while the fourth grade students preferred this technique at a rate of 45.95%. In this technique, first grade students did not benefit from color, while fourth grade students used colors at a high rate. This proportional difference is thought to be related to the fact that first grade participants cannot fully visualize the field in their minds and that they do not yet know the concept of the site plan.

The three-dimensional expression technique was used 75.86% in the cognitive maps of first grade students and 89.19% in fourth grade students. As in the

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**2.8 Imaginary elements**

students.

**Table 9.**

**Table 8.**

*Assessment of Perception of Physical Environment in the Context of Cognitive Maps…*

two-dimensional facade expressions, it was found that while the first grade students did not use color in this technique, 48.65% of the fourth grade students used color. Also, in all the demonstrations, female students used colors more than male

While only 8.62% of these two- and three-dimensional visuals are integrated and present in the site plan, this ratio is 43.24% for fourth grade participants. In addition, while the fourth grade participants positioned these visuals at a location different from where they should be in the site plan by 48.65%, the first grade participants positioned all the structures as they were in the site plan. However, this is due to the fact that first grade students draw less structures on a regional scale. In addition, 15.52% of the first grade participants used written expressions and 6.90% of them used descriptive arrows, while 59.46% of the fourth grade participants used the manuscript. Therefore, while the 4-year space, architecture and technical education is expected to reduce writing and expression, on the contrary, due to architectural education, because of the attempt to draw cognitive maps in the form of the site plan, the writings on the drawings have been more than expected.

In this part of the study, the number of paths, nodes, edges, districts, landmarks, and other elements are determined and shown in **Table 10** proportionally.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90660*

*Other expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

*Expression technique ratios (%) of first and fourth grade students.*

*Assessment of Perception of Physical Environment in the Context of Cognitive Maps… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90660*

#### **Table 8.**

*Cognitive and Intermedial Semiotics*

**2.6 Other expressions**

*Landmark expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

**Table 7.**

the cognitive maps of the fourth grade.

black, white, or colored site plan drawings.

in order to study abroad.

**2.7 Expression techniques**

In the study, all components that do not meet the definition of urban image components in cognitive maps are evaluated in **Table 8** under the heading of other expressions. In this context, the rate of processing of other buildings which are not landmark but located in the campus is in the first place in the cognitive maps of the fourth grade and second in the cognitive maps of the first grade. On the other hand, life experiences rank first in the cognitive maps of the first grades and second in the fourth grades.

Life experience classification has been created, because users embody the places they use instantaneously or continuously and the good or bad memories they live in their cognitive maps. In both groups, female students processed life experiences more in cognitive maps than male students. In the cognitive maps of the fourth grade, it is thought that the reason that other buildings function more than life experiences is that they draw the area in the form of a site plan due to architectural education. Also, for the same reason, unused land and recreation and construction sites were not included in the cognitive maps of the first grade, but were included in

Erasmus Registration Office, which is the liaison office for overseas education, is shown on cognitive maps of the fourth grade, not on the cognitive maps of the first grade. This is due to the fact that fourth grade students visit the building frequently

In order to evaluate the effect of architectural education in the transfer of the places remembered in mind to cognitive maps by drawing, the representation techniques in cognitive maps were determined in both groups and are shown in **Table 9**. As a result of the evaluation, in the context of the expression of the field, 27.58% of the first grade students and 83.79% of the fourth grade students benefited from the

Both two- and three-dimensional expression techniques were used to express the structure and structure groups. The first grade students used the 2D facade drawings at a rate of 5.17%, while the fourth grade students preferred this technique at a rate of 45.95%. In this technique, first grade students did not benefit from color, while fourth grade students used colors at a high rate. This proportional difference is thought to be related to the fact that first grade participants cannot fully visualize the field in their minds and that they do not yet know the concept of the site plan. The three-dimensional expression technique was used 75.86% in the cognitive maps of first grade students and 89.19% in fourth grade students. As in the

**60**

*Other expressions of first and fourth grade students.*

#### **Table 9.** *Expression technique ratios (%) of first and fourth grade students.*

two-dimensional facade expressions, it was found that while the first grade students did not use color in this technique, 48.65% of the fourth grade students used color. Also, in all the demonstrations, female students used colors more than male students.

While only 8.62% of these two- and three-dimensional visuals are integrated and present in the site plan, this ratio is 43.24% for fourth grade participants. In addition, while the fourth grade participants positioned these visuals at a location different from where they should be in the site plan by 48.65%, the first grade participants positioned all the structures as they were in the site plan. However, this is due to the fact that first grade students draw less structures on a regional scale.

In addition, 15.52% of the first grade participants used written expressions and 6.90% of them used descriptive arrows, while 59.46% of the fourth grade participants used the manuscript. Therefore, while the 4-year space, architecture and technical education is expected to reduce writing and expression, on the contrary, due to architectural education, because of the attempt to draw cognitive maps in the form of the site plan, the writings on the drawings have been more than expected.

#### **2.8 Imaginary elements**

In this part of the study, the number of paths, nodes, edges, districts, landmarks, and other elements are determined and shown in **Table 10** proportionally. The percentages of the total number of items found in the cognitive maps of first grades are 15.33% with paths, 14.37% with other elements, 8.91% with landmarks, and 6.03% with districts, followed by 4.36 and 2.41% with nodes and edges; in the cognitive maps of fourth grades are 44.44% with paths, 41.22% with landmarks, 38.51% with districts, and 32.43% with other elements, followed by 27.98 and 19.46% with nodes and edges, respectively.

In both groups of students, nodes and edges took the last place, respectively. The reason for this is that, as shown in **Table 5**, the city, the forest, and Porsuk River, which are defined as border elements, are not drawn in the maps. Interestingly, although paths were the most drawn elements in both groups, the rate of drawing of nodes found at the intersections of paths was very low. The reason for this is that the roads drawn are not continuous, and most of the nodes are on the roads which are not drawn. In the cognitive maps of the first grade students, other elements are in the second place, followed by landmarks and districts, because they mostly draw the region where they are educated. In the fourth grade, because they tried to draw the entire settlement, the landmarks took the second place, followed by districts and other elements.
