%0 Journal Article
	%A Feyzan Tuzkaya and  Nihan S. Soylu and  Çağlar Solak and  Hilal Peker and  Mehmet Peker and  Kemal Özeralp and  Ceren Mete and  Ezgi Mehmetoğlu and  Mehmet Karasu and  Cihan Elçi and  Ece Akca and  Melek Göregenli
	%D 2015
	%J International Journal of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences
	%B World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology
	%I Open Science Index 104, 2015
	%T Turkey in Minds: Cognitive and Social Representations of "East" and "West"
	%U https://publications.waset.org/pdf/10001871
	%V 104
	%X Perception, evaluation and representation of the
environment have been the subject of many disciplines including
psychology, geography and architecture. In environmental and social
psychology literature there are several evidences which suggest that
cognitive representations about a place consisted of not only
geographic items but also social and cultural. Mental representations
of residence area or a country are influenced and determined by
social-demographics, the physical and social context. Thus, all
mental representations of a given place are also social
representations. Cognitive maps are the main and common
instruments that are used to identify spatial images and the difference
between physical and subjective environments. The aim of the
current study is investigating the mental and social representations of
Turkey in university students’ minds. Data was collected from 249
university students from different departments (i.e. psychology,
geography, history, tourism departments) of Ege University.
Participants were requested to reflect Turkey in their mind onto the
paper drawing sketch maps. According to the results, cognitive maps
showed geographic aspects of Turkey as well as the context of
symbolic, cultural and political reality of Turkey. That is to say, these
maps had many symbolic and verbal items related to critics on social
and cultural problems, ongoing ethnic and political conflicts, and
actual political agenda of Turkey. Additionally, one of main
differentiations in these representations appeared in terms of the East
and West side of the Turkey, and the representations of the East and
West was varied correspondingly participants’ cultural background,
their ethnic values, and where they have born. The results of the
study were discussed in environmental and social psychological
perspective considering cultural and social values of Turkey and
current political circumstances of the country.
	%P 2732 - 2738