Identifying factors of geographic event conceptualisation

This paper examines whether the formal topological characterization of spatial relations between moving geographic regions provides an adequate basis for the human conceptualization of motion events for those regions. The paper focuses on gradual changes in topological relationships caused by continuous transformations of the regions (specifically, translations). Using a series of experiments, the conceptualization and perception of conceptual neighborhoods is investigated. In particular, the role of conceptual neighborhoods in characterizing motion events is scrutinized. The experiments employ a grouping paradigm and a custom-made tool for presenting animated icons. The analysis examines whether paths through a conceptual neighborhood graph sufficiently characterize the conceptualization of the movement of two regions. The results of the experiments show that changes in topological relations—as detailed by paths through a conceptual neighborhood graph— are not sufficient to characterize the cognitive conceptualization of moving regions. The similarity ratings show clear effects of perceptually and conceptually induced groupings such as identity (which region is moving), reference (is a larger or a smaller region moving), and dynamics (are both regions moving at the same time).