Millett, Matthew E., 1971-2010-11-112010-11-112010-09https://hdl.handle.net/1794/10832xii, 80 p. : ill., maps (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.Choropleth maps are a popular way of depicting spatial data. The map communication model, which theorizes that geographic information is transmitted from the cartographer to the map user via a map, suggests that cartographers are responsible for clearly conveying spatial data in a way all map users can understand. Map users, however, come from different places and may harbor certain regional biases. This thesis investigates whether map users tend to focus on data patterns within their home regions during the visual-search and decision-making processes when reading classed choropleth maps, thereby exhibiting an egocentric map behavior. Seventy-one subjects took a computer-based test asking them to identify various phenomena on a series of choropleth maps of the lower 48 states. The results show a weak positive effect of egocentric map behavior; subjects who lived in a particular state longer were slightly more likely to choose states nearby their home region.en-USChoropleth mapsMapsThesis