Unit 1 Chapter 1 pp. 32-34 Notes Geographic concepts: Ways of seeing the world spatially that are used by geographers in answering research questions. Environmental determinism: Human behavior, individually and collectively, is strongly affected by (controlled or determined by) the physical environment. It was believed locations of cultural hearths were solely caused by the environment Arguments against include: Mayan civilization arose in tropical climate which was said to be incapable of complex cultures European ?superior? theory doesn?t account for the most technologically advanced societies in North Africa, Southwest Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia for 1000s of years previously.