All Issue

2026 Vol.61, Issue 4 Preview Page
Spatial Structure and Determinants of Intercity Cognitive Distance: Focusing on Nationwide Drivers

도시 간 인지거리의 공간구조와 결정요인 - 전국 운전자를 대상으로 -

Dabin Jeonga
,
Yun Kyung Baeb
,
Jae Hyun Leeㅊ*
정 다빈a
,
배 윤경b
,
이 재현ㅊ*
aResearcher, Korea Transport Institute
bResearch Fellow, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements
ㅊAssociate Professor, Department of Geography, Kyungpook National University
a한국교통연구원 연구원
b국토연구원 연구위원
ㅊ경북대학교 지리학과 부교수
*Corresponding Author
31 August 2026. pp. 471-483
PDF XML Citation
Abstract

Cognitive distance, the subjective spatial perception that differs from physical distance, exerts a substantive influence on individuals' spatiotemporal behavior; nevertheless, large-scale empirical research on intercity cognitive distance has remained limited. To address this gap, the present study analyzed the spatial structure and determinants of intercity cognitive distance in South Korea, drawing on survey responses from 2,732 licensed adult drivers across 300 city pairs constructed from 25 major cities, with an average of approximately 180 responses per pair. Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) revealed that the cognitive spatial structure was distorted such that the north–south axis was compressed while the east–west axis was expanded, and that respondents tended to perceive cities in regional clusters rather than individually. Cross-Classified Multilevel Model (CCMM) analysis showed that, at the city-pair level, physical distance and high-speed rail (KTX) connectivity had significant effects on cognitive distance whereas direct expressway connection did not, while city-pair experience patterns (residence in one city, visit to one city, and residence in one and visit to the other) at the response level and annual driving distance at the individual level also emerged as significant determinants. By contrast, sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, driving experience, education, and income showed no significant effects. These findings provide a basis for using cognitive distance as a complementary evaluation indicator in regional transportation network assessment and in the delineation of administrative districts and daily activity zones.

Keywords
cognitive distance
cross-classified multilevel model
multidimensional scaling

인지거리는 물리적 거리와 구별되는 개인의 주관적 공간 인식으로서 사람들의 시공간 행태에 실질적 영향을 미치지만, 도시 간 인지거리에 대한 대규모 실증 연구는 제한적이었다. 이에 본 연구는 대한민국 25개 주요 도시로 구성된 300개 도시쌍을 대상으로 운전면허 보유 성인 2,732명으로부터 도시쌍당 평균 약 180개의 인지거리 응답을 수집하여, 도시 간 인지거리의 공간구조와 결정요인을 분석하였다. 다차원척도법(multidimensional scaling; MDS)을 통해 물리적 공간과 인지적 공간을 비교한 결과, 인지적 공간구조는 남북축은 축소되고 동서축은 확대되어 나타났으며, 응답자들은 도시를 개별적으로 인식하기보다 권역 단위로 군집화하여 인식하는 경향을 보였다. 교차분류다층모형(cross-classified multilevel model; CCMM) 분석 결과, 도시쌍 수준에서는 물리거리와 고속철도 연결이 인지거리에 유의한 영향을 미친 반면 고속도로 연결은 유의하지 않았고, 응답 수준에서는 도시쌍에 대한 경험 패턴(한쪽 거주, 한쪽 방문, 한쪽 거주･한쪽 방문)이, 개인 수준에서는 연간 운행거리가 유의한 영향 요인으로 확인되었다. 반면 연령, 성별, 운전경력, 학력, 소득 등 인구사회학적 특성은 유의한 영향을 미치지 않았다. 본 연구의 결과는 광역교통망 평가와 행정구역･생활권 설정에서 인지거리를 보완적 평가 지표로 활용할 수 있는 근거를 제공한다.

키워드
인지거리
교차분류다층모형
다차원척도법
References
1

김호정･정일호, 2008, 고속도로망 구축의 심리적 국토공간 거리단축 효과, 국토연구원, 192호

2

이금숙･김소연, 2006, “시간거리 접근성 카토그램 제작 및 접근성 공간구조 분석,” 한국경제지리학회지, 9(2), 149-166.

3

정인철, 1992, “기능공간 구조분석 및 지도화에 관한 방법론적 연구: 시간거리 접근성을 중심으로,” 대한지리학회지, 27(2), 148-160.

4

Ankomah, P. K., Crompton, J. L. and Baker, D., 1996, Influence of cognitive distance in vacation choice, Annals of Tourism Research, 23(1), 138-150.

10.1016/0160-7383(95)00054-2
5

Briggs, R., 1972, Cognitive Distance in Urban Space, Ph.D. Dissertation, The Ohio State University.

6

Canter, D. and Tagg, S., 1975, Distance estimation in cities, Environment and Behavior, 7(1), 59-80.

10.1177/001391657500700102
7

Coshall, J. T., 1985, Urban consumers' cognitions of distance, Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 67(2), 107-119.

10.1080/04353684.1985.11879520
8

Fielding, A. and Goldstein, H., 2006, Cross-classified and Multiple Membership Structures in Multilevel Models: An Introduction and Review, Department for Education and Skills, London, Research Report No. 791.

9

Golledge, R. G., 1978, Representing, interpreting, and using cognized environments, Papers of the Regional Science Association, 41, 169-204.

10.1111/j.1435-5597.1978.tb01046.x
10

Holyoak, K. J. and Mah, W. A., 1982, Cognitive reference points in judgments of symbolic magnitude, Cognitive Psychology, 14(3), 328-352.

10.1016/0010-0285(82)90013-5
11

Hourihan, J. K. and Jones, L. E., 1979, Distance estimation and cognitive mapping: A multidimensional scaling analysis, The Irish Journal of Psychology, 4(2), 79-94.

10.1080/03033910.1979.10557638
12

Ishikawa, T. and Montello, D. R., 2006, Spatial knowledge acquisition from direct experience in the environment: Individual differences in the development of metric knowledge and the integration of separately learned places, Cognitive Psychology, 52(2), 93-129.

10.1016/j.cogpsych.2005.08.003
13

Khademi, N. and Saedi, R., 2019, Latent learning and the formation of a spatiotemporal cognitive map of a road network, Travel Behaviour and Society, 14, 66-80.

10.1016/j.tbs.2018.09.003
14

Lee, T. R., 1970, Perceived distance as a function of direction in the city, Environment and Behavior, 2(1), 40-51.

10.1177/001391657000200103
15

Lin, C.-H. and Morais, D. B., 2008, The spatial clustering effect of destination distribution on cognitive distance estimates and its impact on tourists' destination choices, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 25(3-4), 382-397.

10.1080/10548400802508481
16

Lloyd, R. and Heivly, C., 1987, Systematic distortions in urban cognitive maps, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 77(2), 191-207.

10.1111/j.1467-8306.1987.tb00153.x
17

Lynch, K., 1960, The Image of the City, MIT Press, Cambridge.

18

Manley, E., Filomena, G. and Mavros, P., 2021, A spatial model of cognitive distance in cities, International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 35(11), 2316-2338.

10.1080/13658816.2021.1887488
19

Montello, D. R., 1997, The perception and cognition of environmental distance: Direct sources of information, in Hirtle, S. C. and Frank, A. U. (eds.), Spatial Information Theory: A Theoretical Basis for GIS, Springer, Berlin.

10.1007/3-540-63623-4_57
20

Montello, D. R., 2009, A conceptual model of the cognitive processing of environmental distance information, in Hornsby, K. S., Claramunt, C., Denis, M. and Ligozat, G. (eds.), Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2009), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 5756, Springer, Berlin.

21

Sadalla, E. K. and Staplin, L. J., 1980, An information storage model for distance cognition, Environment and Behavior, 12(2), 183-193.

10.1177/0013916580122004
22

Simandan, D., 2016, Proximity, subjectivity, and space: Rethinking distance in human geography, Geoforum, 75, 249-252.

10.1016/j.geoforum.2016.07.018
23

Thomas, M., Stillwell, J. and Gould, M., 2015, Modelling multilevel variations in distance moved between origins and destinations in England and Wales, Environment and Planning A, 47(4), 996-1014.

10.1068/a130327p
24

Tolman, E. C., 1948, Cognitive maps in rats and men, Psychological Review, 55(4), 189-208.

10.1037/h0061626
25

Trope, Y. and Liberman, N., 2010, Construal-Level Theory of psychological distance, Psychological Review, 117(2), 440-463.

10.1037/a001896320438233PMC3152826
Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Geographical Society
  • Publisher(Ko) :대한지리학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
  • Journal Title(Ko) :대한지리학회지
  • Volume : 61
  • No :4
  • Pages :471-483
  • Received Date : 2026-05-08
  • Revised Date : 2026-07-04
  • Accepted Date : 2026-07-06
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.22776/kgs.2026.61.4.471
Journal Informaiton Journal of the Korean Geographical Society Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
online submission
  • NRF
  • KISTI Current Status
  • KISTI Cited-by
  • KCI 문헌 유사도 검사
  • orcid
  • open access
  • ccl
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close