Behavioral geography is an approach to human geography that examines human behavior by separating it into different parts. In addition, behavioral geography is an ideology/approach in human geography that makes use of the methods and assumptions of behaviorism to determine the cognitive processes involved in an individual's perception of or response and reaction to their environment. Behavioral geographers focus on the cognitive processes underlying spatial reasoning, decision making, and behavior.
Behavioral geography is the branch of human science which deals with the study of cognitive processes with its response to its environment through behaviorism.
Issues
Because of the name it is often assumed to have its roots in behaviorism. While some behavioral geographers clearly have roots in behaviorism due to the emphasis on cognition, most can be seen as cognitively oriented. Indeed, it seems that behaviorism interest is more recent and growing.
The cognitive processes include environmental perception and cognition, wayfinding, the construction of cognitive maps, place attachment, the development of attitudes about space and place, decisions and behavior based on imperfect knowledge of one's environs, and numerous other topics.
The approach adopted in behavioral geography is closely related to that of psychology, but draws on research findings from a multitude of other disciplines including economics, sociology, anthropology, transportation planning, and many others.
The Social Construction of Nature
Nature is the world which surrounds us, including all life (plants, animals, organisms, humans, etc.) and physical features. Social Construction is the way that human beings process the world around us in our minds. According to Plato's 'Classical Theory of Categorization', humans create categories of what they see through experience and imagination. Social constructionism, therefore, is this characterization that makes language and semantics possible. such as through giving it a human quality (Mother Nature). It can also be used to discredit science or philosophy. and cosmology philosophy in Africa, for example. It is also related to postmodernism and the concept of the Anthropocene, that views humans as a force that is redirecting the geological history of Earth,
The Role of Linguistics
thumb|Raymond Williams, author of Keywords: A vocabulary of culture and society (1983).
There are many ways of understanding and interpreting nature. These experiences allow us to create mental maps where we can create memories associated to space. Scientific knowledge consists of concepts and analysis, and is a way to represent nature.
- 1700s-1800s: The idea that progress is attained through controlling nature This can happen in three ways:
- Using non-human symbols to represent nature (Totemism)