Psychology 409a- November 7, 2005

Psychology 409a- November 7, 2005
My Second Outline of Assigned Readings
By: Jessica Trujillo
Sex Differences in Driving

Reference: Sex Differences in Driving & Insurance Risk www.sirc.org/publik/driving_risk.shtml

Instructions for this activity are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/409a-g23-oral.htm
Instructor: Dr. Leon James

Concept 1: Sex Differences in Aggression and Driving Behavior

A. Throughout various studies men have shown more aggressive traits then women which flows over into their driving behavior. Some argue though that aggression is not merely the physical acts that are displayed, but may also include things such as manipulation, exclusion and gossip. If these are contained in the definition, then men and women are not significantly different in our aggressive behaviors. Some studies include and indirect measure for aggression which included the number of times the horn was honked. The results were that men honked their horn three times more then women. Another study looked at police and news reports and found that men were more involved in these acts. Another study suggests that men view the car as another extension of their body space, so they become territorial over it. So when tailgating or any ‘invasion of territory’ happens, it triggers the defensive aggression which is seen in humans across all cultures as well as in other species of animal.*

B. Psychologically men are programmed to be more aggressive since the beginning of time. They were the ‘hunters’ and had to provide food no matter what the conditions were and at the same time protect their family from any outsiders. They are just naturally built stronger and bigger majority of the time so they tend to be more aggressive across cultures. I know personally whenever I drive with a guy, they tend to ‘own the road’ a lot more then women do. They also tend to speed, weave in and out of traffic, and get angry more easily then my women friends do.

C. I choose this topic because it was interesting to me to see the debate on how to define aggression as well as how they studied aggression. I see aggression every day on the road and it is interesting to read about where the aggression is derived from.

Concept 2: Sex Differences in Traffic Regulation Violations

A. According to a study done in Israel, women were more likely than men to view the content of traffic laws as important, clear and reasonable. This produced a strong sense of obligation to obey traffic laws. Women reported that they would comply with traffic laws even in situations where non-compliance was not perceived as risky. On the other hand, men tended to overestimate their driving ability and feel more ok about selectively obeying traffic laws. Traffic violations include but are not limited to crossing lights on red, driving close to the vehicle in front, driving over the legal limit for blood alcohol, being involved in unofficial races with other drivers, as well as exceeding speed limits. Which according to a study done in the UK, 40% of men were found violators of these laws, compared to 20% of women. In addition to all those laws, men are more likely to drink and drive. Of all those people that were convicted of drinking and driving in 2002, 97% were male.

B. Knowing that majority of the time men are more aggressive it is obvious that they will more then likely have considerably more traffic violations then females. I see this in a lot of my friends especially when it comes to racing and drinking and driving. All my guy friends are more willing to drink and drive then any of my girl friends. For the most part, girls don’t care how fast their car is, but because men take a lot of pride in their car, they need to show it off and race other people which, if caught, can result in a ticket.

C. I chose this topic because it goes right along with aggression. It is the result of aggression, and it is apparent that the sex with the most aggression will also have a higher amount of traffic violations.

Concept 3: Sex Differences in Sensation Seeking and Risk Taking on the Road

A. Again it is believe that men desire to take more risk and seek more sensation then women. Numerous studies have been done, but one significant study indicated that there is a relationship between sensation-seeking and risk-taking and levels of male testosterone. Many studies have concluded that there is a relationship between sensation-seeking and risk-taking and levels of male testosterone. It is interesting to note that women have about, on average, 40 nanograms of testosterone in each decilitre of their blood, males have 300 to 1000 nanograms of testosterone per decilitre of blood. This explains why men are more prone to engage in such behaviors, independent of child-rearing, socialization, education and other factors.

B. Biologically and psychologically, many of the chemicals inside our body have an effect on the behavior that is displayed. I remember one time when I was at Maunawilli waterfalls with some guys. There was a jump about 40 feet high, and all the guys just hiked up there and jumped off without thinking about it. It took me over 45 minutes to jump because I was planning the jump and thinking about the consequences if something should happen. So personally, I am not willing to take risks and seek as many thrills as the men were that day. I think the same relates in driving.

C. I fully agree that men tend to seek out thrills far more then women do. I choose this topic because it helped me learn more about the biological standpoint (testosterone) in the area of risk and sensations. It also ties in the previous two topics on aggression and traffic violations.

My Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2005/trujillo/home.htm

The G23 Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/classhome-g23.htm