Report 2
My Report on Driving Psychology
By Gina Kim
Instructions for this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/409a-g25-report2.htm
I am answering Questions 01, 02, 03, 04 and 05.
Dr. Leon James,
December 2006
My Report on Previous Generations
For this section, I chose four different student reports from G20. They can all be found at http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/gc/g20-409as2004.htm . The four reports that are chose are as follows:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report2.htm by Jenny Arakaki
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kikuchi/report%202.htm by Hiroko Kikuchi
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/mansfield/report2.htm by Melissa Mansfield
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kubo/report1.htm by Jeremy Kubo
I will start with Jenny Arakaki’s report.
1. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report2.htm by Jenny Arakaki
Jenny Arakaki’s report was entitled “My Driving Personality Makeover Project”. Unlike my report, her entire report was about how she utilized the three-step driver self-improvement program to change her negative driving habits. She went over her assessment of her driving skills and discussed the procedure she took in her project. Jenny’s report was very specific in that while it explained many driving psychology principles, it was mainly about her makeover. My report was more general and touched up on a lot of different topics in driving psychology.
The theories and principles discussed in Jenny’s report is very similar to mine. We both reported on bad driving norms. We also both reported about self-improvement programs like the AWM procedure. It sounded like she had a very good understanding of what risky driving norms were and knew exactly what to do in order to change those norms into positive ones.
2. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kikuchi/report%202.htm by Hiroko Kikuchi
Like Jenny, Hiroko also did a makeover project. It is different from my report because it is detailing a very specific incident or project. While focusing on one person’s experiences, Hiroko gave examples of driving psychology theories and principles. Review of Hiroko’s report was similar to that of Jenny’s. Their similarities and differences to my report were alike. Hiroko wrote about self-witnessing in her report. That is a very important term that I did not write in my report. It is essential when using the AWM procedure. It goes hand in hand with the witnessing step.
3. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/mansfield/report2.htm by Melissa Mansfield
Just like Jenny and Hiroko, Melissa also did a makeover project. I really liked that all three of them had tables or graphs showing their progress throughout their makeover. This is different from my paper because my report did not utilize any types of tables or graphs. Now I am thinking that for future reports, having tables or graphs may help my report. The makeover was difficult for Melissa, but it sounds like she learned that sticking to the practices will ultimately help her as a driver in the end.
4. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kubo/report1.htm by Jeremy Kubo
This final report that I reviewed was different from the others. Jeremy’s report was entitled “Driving Psychology: Theory and Application”. Basically what he did for this report was give a whole list of definitions relating to driving psychology. He then gave a little autobiography telling his experience as a driver. It seems like his report is more similar to my report than the other previous three reports, but still, my report seems a lot more detailed. He gave definitions for terms that I also reported on like emotional intelligence, road rage, and the driver’s threefold self.
Reading his autobiography section, it sounds like he still has a lot of aggressive driving tendencies and doesn’t fully understand or accepts the fact that his attitude is still negative. Although he can give definitions, I don’t think he really applied the driving psychology theories to himself. He still tries to put the blame on other drivers. Still, he showed that he is trying by setting a good example in front of his daughter. He has that principle down and doesn’t want to transfer his bad habits over to his daughter.
Conclusion and Advice
All of the four students sound like they really understand the theories about driving psychology that were taught to them. They know the principles and know how to utilize them to become more supportive drivers. Still, I think Jeremy Kubo had a hard time changing his thoughts and feelings.
This generation’s reports were different from the two reports that we had to do. Honestly, I feel that the reports that we did in our generation are better. They were more detailed and really forced us to dig deep into the material. Report one of G20 seemed like they just had to give definitions. I don’t think students really learn much from just copying definitions. Also, I enjoyed reading the makeover project reports, but I felt like with that type of report, you can only cover so much of the principles of driving psychology.
For this report as well as report one, we were required to go back and review many different students’ reports. Although it was helpful to see what other students had done previously, it was very difficult to read the same material repeatedly. At first it was okay, but over time, it was too much. Still, I have to admit that doing that helped me improve my own paper. I could go back and see the mistakes that I had made by comparing my paper to other students’ reports.
The Question I am Answering is Question 01:
(a) Contrast our two textbooks: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (James and Nahl), and Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer (Peter Rothe, Editor). Name some ways they are similar, and some ways they are different. Would either text be suitable for high school students?
(b) Discuss in what way these ideas can help solve society's driving problems. Be specific: describe the main problems (use some statistics) and how can particular ideas in these two books help solve those problems.
(c) Describe the reactions of friends when you tell them about driving personality makeovers and its psychological and social context.
(a) Contrast our two
textbooks: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (James and Nahl), and Driving
Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer (Peter Rothe, Editor). Name
some ways they are similar, and some ways they are different. Would either text
be suitable for high school students?
For this class, we were required to use two books. One was “Road Rage and Aggressive Driving” by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl. The other one was “Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer” edited by Peter Rothe. Both books deal with aspects of driving and traffic safety. They tell about problems that affect us as drivers and give examples of ways to make the roads safer. One of Dr. Leon James’ articles entitled “Dealing with Stress, Aggression, and Pressure in the Vehicle” is included in the book “Driving Lessons”. These are just a few ways the books are similar.
Some other similarities are found in the different chapters of the books. When reading through the books, you can see that there are very similar topics or ideas that are covered in each book. The topic of speeding is brought up in both books and so is the topic of cell phone usage while driving. Another similarity that is obvious yet doesn’t really have much to do with the topic of driving is that in both books, the topics are divided into three sections or parts. From there is where the differences begin.
Let’s begin with how the three sections or parts are different. In “Road Rage…”, Dr. James and Dr. Nahl start off with a section about conflict mentality. They discuss things like road rage and aggression. In part two, they discuss the idea of driving psychology. This is where they introduce the three-step driver self improvement program. In part three, they discuss the direction that driving is going. You can see that they are trying to give a clear picture of the problem with driving and what can be done about it.
In “Driving Lessons”, each chapter is written by different authors and Peter Rothe grouped them together into three sections. The first section dealt with personal subsystems. These were articles discussing social or individual factors affecting driving. Section two dealt with institutional subsystems which deal with government, economics, and politics that affect driving. The third section is about technical subsystems. These are articles that tell about how new technologies can help or hurt driving.
Just from this, you can see that the focus of each book is different. Although both are about driving, “Road Rage” is more about the individual driver. It focuses on things like the three-fold self and ways you can help yourself become a more supportive driver. It really deals more with the psychological aspect of driving. “Driving Lessons” is much more technical. I feel that that it focuses more on how the outside world affects not only drivers but driving in general. The general topics may be similar but the overall focus is different.
Another difference that I thought was really important was that “Road Rage and Aggressive Driving” offered many little exercises and checklists throughout the book. “Driving Lessons” did not offer them. These little checklists really helped to emphasize the main points and engage the reader.
With that in mind, I think that “Road Rage and Aggressive Driving” would be very suitable for high school students. It is very easy to read and follow along with this book. It is written in a way where one can put themselves in each situation and see how they are when they drive. It would be a very good book to use in drivers’ education classes as well. Utilizing the checklists would help high school students better understand the differences between right and wrong as well as supportive and aggressive driving.
The book “Driving Lessons” would also be suitable for some high school students. I don’t think that the level of reading is too difficult for them, but I think it would be hard to get them to be interested in some of the articles. You could definitely get them to read the book, but I don’t think the message would get through to them as effectively as “Road Rage”.
When I first learned how to drive in high school, I was never introduced to the topic of road rage or aggressive driving. I was just taught how to drive and I basically thought that was it. I figured if I was just alert, I was driving perfectly. After reading these books, especially “Road Rage”, I wish I was able to read them in high school. It would’ve really changed how I viewed driving. These books are definitely suitable for high school students and I think they should be given to them to read before driving or even while they are already driving.
(b) Discuss in what
way these ideas can help solve society's driving problems. Be specific:
describe the main problems (use some statistics) and how can particular ideas
in these two books help solve those problems.
The main and general issue of driving
is the problem of road rage and aggressive driving. Dangerous driving leads to
injuries and sometimes fatalities. According to “Road Rage”, the annual death
rate is still at 40,000. The annual injury rate is now at 6 million. These are
very high numbers and this is a very big problem. This is not only a problem in
The general solution to road rage and aggressive driving is to help people transform themselves into more aware, supportive drivers. “Road Rage” gives many different ways of going about that. Informing people about the issue and making them more aware of why they drive the way they do is a big help. Dr. James and Dr. Nahl discuss solutions such as lifelong driver education which includes quality driving circles, or QDCs. The solution I like best is the three-step driver self improvement program, otherwise known as the AWM procedure.
The three-step driver self-improvement program can be utilized after drivers are informed about the topic and about their three-fold self. When they fully understand the concept, they can try the procedure while they are driving. First, you acknowledge your problems. Then you witness is while driving and then try to modify your behavior. By constantly practicing this procedure while driving, you can become a more supportive driver. Driving is something that needs to be learned over and over and using the AWM procedure will help drivers to not get in the habit of driving aggressively.
“Driving Lessons” also talks about road rage and aggressive driving. In connection to the previously mentioned solutions, “Driving Lessons” discusses in detail the driver’s three-fold self. This is a concept that will help drivers understand their thoughts and actions. I strongly believe that before anything can change, people need to understand driving psychology. That is the first step in solving the problem of road rage and aggressive driving.
Another problem I find important is the effect of road rage and aggressive driving on children. Children grow up to think and act like the adults that they are around most. These adults include parents, grandparents, and teachers. They learn their morals and values from these people. When these adults engage in risky driving behaviors, children learn these behaviors and grow up to become aggressive drivers themselves. This is a big problem because even before drivers’ education classes can teach them right from wrong, they are already programmed to drive with a certain attitude.
“Road Rage” has a chapter on this issue and offers some advice. A good advice is to set a good example. Since children learn from what they see, we need to show them proper, supportive driving skills and habits. While they are in the car, reward them for being good passengers and show them the positive way of handling dangerous or frustrating situations. Setting a good example from the start will help children understand the rules better. These attitudes also transfer into the children’s lives outside the car as well.
Emotional intelligence is also taught in the books. This is the ability be aware of and control your emotions. The higher your emotional intelligence, the more aware you are and the more you are able to control how you handle tough situations. If emotional intelligence is taught to children at a young age, they will be better equipped to handle those tough driving situations when they are older.
(c) Describe the
reactions of friends when you tell them about driving personality makeovers and
its psychological and social context.
I went over the driving personality makeovers that you can do previously in this question. For a makeover, you can try the AWM procedure. I had already taught this procedure to my boyfriend and so I picked a few of my close friends and decided to teach them the method. I started by explaining the driver’s threefold self, which is the affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor domains. A few of them had a difficult time understanding the concept at first, but once they caught on, it made a lot of sense to them.
A few of them didn’t want to admit that they had bad driving habits. Still, when I gave more examples of dangerous driving situations and read a few of the checklists and exercises given in “Road Rage”, they gave in and admitted that they had a few flaws to work on. I explained to them that doing a driving personality makeover would help them psychologically because driving causes a lot of stress. By practicing good habits, they could lessen the amount of stress put on them through daily driving. This made most of my friends really want to try the procedure.
My friends’ reaction to the AWM procedure was that it was too simple. Many of them said “That’s it?” and thought it wasn’t much of a makeover. I told them that changing any of your habits is just that simple and once you use those three steps on all of your different bad habits, you will see a drastic change in your driving experience. I had them all try the procedure for a week or so and got their reactions afterwards.
They all
saw a big difference in their driving experience. They thought it was hard at
first but once they got used to being more aware of their thoughts and actions,
they found it easy to keep a positive frame of mind while driving. They all got
less stressed out while driving. It was good to see that my friends are now
able to drive in a more positive way and one of them even mentioned that they
are going to be teaching this procedure to their other friends. Hopefully the
word spreads and more people in
The Question I am Answering is Question 02:
(a) Search Google News section, for "road rage." Describe what you see. Is it a general phenomenon? How do you react?
(b) How do you explain what's going on -- using driving psychology theory. Connect what you found in the news with the problems and solutions you discuss in Question 1.
(c) Tell your friends about what you found. Describe their reaction.
(a) Search Google
News section, for "road rage." Describe what you see. Is it a general
phenomenon? How do you react?
After searching Google News for “road rage”, I got a surprising 2,360 different results. I looked through them all and there were that many news articles for the month of November alone! That means that there were at least 2,360 incidents of road rage in November 2006 and these are only the ones that were reported. Imagine how many went unreported. Granted, when you look up any other big topic like crime or gay rights, you get a much higher number, but it’s scary to see just how many incidences of road rage there really are.
Looking at
the results, it seems like most of the news articles are about people being
arrested and charged for road rage incidents or victims of road rage. Road rage
does seem like a general phenomenon. It’s happening everywhere, all the time. It
may not be reported or written about as much as other crimes, but it’s out
there and is happening everyday. Also, from looking at the articles, you can
tell it’s not only a phenomenon in
For
example, the first article found in the search was about a victim of road rage
in
One article stood out to me. It wasn’t an article about someone being tried for murder because of road rage. It was written by a man who experienced being a victim of road rage. It was interesting that he never thought of road rage as being a common phenomenon. He thought it was an “infrequent problem”, but realized he was wrong when he one day had to direct traffic for work. He found himself being yelled and cursed at, hit by trash, and punched by one particular driver. You can clearly see that road rage is not always just from driver to driver. It’s everywhere from pedestrians to cyclists as well.
Every now and then I found articles that weren’t about actual road rage incidents. Some were just about road rage in general. One article I found was about a website that was made by two men. It was called PlateWire and it was made as a place for drivers to vent about other drivers. Dr. Leon James was actually mentioned in the article. He says that venting is actually not a good thing because it brings back the feelings of anger. I also feel this way. Those types of forums only reinforce anger and frustration rather than calm the person down.
It was interesting to see that most people who engaged in road rage ended up pleading guilty, especially if the victims had died. They were usually sentenced to prison for a while. A few people got off with community service. I’m glad that people are charged with prison sentences. Road rage is very dangerous and should not be taken lightly. It really does kill, as these articles prove. I found one article where a man actually fought his conviction. He was sentenced to 10 years after a road rage incident left one man dead. It’s shocking to see that some people won’t take responsibility for their actions.
There were a few articles about people being arrested and charged with possession of firearms. This shocked me because I never really think about someone pulling out a gun and pointing it at me while driving. I know that I experience road rage a lot of times and engage in risky behaviors, but reading these articles opens my eyes to reality and makes me want to be more careful while driving. You really don’t know what kind of people are out there and you want to watch out. You don’t want to be a victim of road rage over a silly thing like someone cutting you off.
Also, when you engage in road rage, you are put in danger of getting hurt or killed, but you are also in danger of hurting someone else and being sentenced to jail. These articles made me stop to think about the price you pay for road rage. Many of us engage in it without thinking of the consequences. It’s just like any other crime but it’s more dangerous because so many people don’t really see it as a crime. More needs to be done to inform people of the dangers and consequences of road rage.
(b) How do you
explain what's going on -- using driving psychology theory. Connect what you
found in the news with the problems and solutions you discuss in Question 1.
Many driving psychology principles and theories can be seen in play here. One main principle seen is the norms of our generation. Basically, our affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor norms are all negative. You can see a lot of the negative affective norms in play. For example, a lot of the road rage stems from our feelings of territoriality and competitiveness. A lot of incidents begin because people are caught in situations where they feel like they are competing against each other for power over the road. It also stems from the need to punish incompetent drivers or ones that get in our way.
You can see the negative cognitive norms as well. People engaged in road rage are exhibiting a lack of accurate risk assessment and emotional intelligence. They are not able to control their emotions in the heat of the moment. Negative sensorimotor norms are finally seen in the outcome and actions of the drivers involved in road rage incidents. Incidences where people get beaten up, pull out guns, or chase each other are all common now and these are the norm.
Another theory or principle that is seen is that driving “inherently involves taking risks, making errors, and losing self-control”. Driving is so complex that it is impossible for humans to not make errors. When we get upset, it is easy for us to lose control. We forget to stop and think about the consequences of our actions. Most of the victims of road rage made mistakes. They made the mistake of not changing their bad habits. Negative driving norms are habits that need to be changed. The articles that I found prove that this society has a big need for drastic change.
One other principle that I wanted to bring up was that drivers these days, especially the ones involved in the articles, are not emotionally intelligent. They lack the level of emotional intelligence that is needed to drive efficiently and positively. This lack of emotional intelligence leads them to make wrong decisions and engage in risky behaviors.
As mentioned in question 1, road rage is a big problem in driving and society. You can clearly see how big of a problem this is to society from the articles found in Google News. 2,000 incidences of road rage are too much for just one month. Solutions mentioned in question 1 like the AWM procedure and teaching awareness to drivers would be very useful. Perhaps teaching these principles and methods to the victims of road rage would help.
(c) Tell your friends
about what you found. Describe their reaction.
I chose to show the articles that I found to my boyfriend. I had taught him the AWM procedure for previous assignments and have had many discussions with him about road rage and aggressive driving after that. I thought that he might have a lot to say about the issue and figured he would be the best person to show these articles to. He is the type to engage in road rage many times but is also very paranoid about being a victim of road rage. It is very strange how while he will get very angry at other drivers and drive in a risky manner, he will still be cautious about being a victim.
Just like me, he was shocked to see how many articles there were in just one short month. He always knew that road rage was common since he himself gets angry every time he drives, but he never really knew just how serious the problem could be. In a way, I guess he thought of road rage as just getting angry and maybe tailing someone or cutting someone off and swearing at them. He didn’t really think past that to where someone could pull out a gun and shoot you. It was very eye-opening for him.
Now when he drives, he is a lot more cautious. That’s not to say that he doesn’t get angry anymore. He still gets angry and frustrated, although the AWM procedure has helped change him a lot. After reading the articles, he just doesn’t act on his anger too much anymore. He will stop himself from tailing or swearing at someone. Although he still gets angry and wants to do something to retaliate, he will now stop because he is afraid that the other driver will also retaliate and we will all be put in danger.
One incident where I saw this was when a car deliberately cut us off and swore at us. At the time, I was so upset that all I wanted to do was honk and catch up to him to yell at him. My boyfriend was driving and I saw that he got mad but wouldn’t honk or drive faster. Rather, he slowed down and put a good amount of distance between us and the other car. I got upset with him but later he explained that he didn’t want to create trouble. He was worried that the other driver might try to hurt us because he had already caused danger and had cursed at us.
After hearing my boyfriend’s explanation, I immediately calmed down. The articles had really affected my boyfriend’s attitude on driving and it made me realize that he was right. Those sorts of situations can easily turn into an incident similar to any of the articles we read about. The other driver could have had a gun or could have chased us down to hurt us. Getting this sort of reaction from my boyfriend showed me that even just informing people about road rage incidents can open people’s eyes on the issue, so I decided to also show these articles to another friend of mine.
I showed the search results to a friend that I know is a very safe driver. Not once did I ever see her get upset on the road. I wondered if her reaction would be different from the reaction of someone who sometimes engages in road rage incidents. Not surprisingly, she was shocked when she saw the results. She always thought of road rage as more calm. Isn’t that funny? She thought of it more as getting upset and speeding, tailing, or swearing. She never thought people actually pulled out guns or beat up other drivers. In her mind, it was only the stuff of movies.
In a way, I’m sorry I chose to show the results to her. For a while, she was very paranoid. Although she never got involved with road rage herself, she has been the victim of road rage many times. She’s had people flip her off, swear at her, or dangerously cut her off. Now, every time something like that happens, she gets very paranoid and tries her hardest to drive away from those people. At least she is more aware now. It’s surprising how little people know about road rage and aggressive driving.
The Question I am Answering is Question 03:
(a) Select some student reports at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups Discuss your reactions to what they did – their ideas, their method, and their explanations. What did they gain from doing their reports? How do their ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues?
(b) Now go to Google Groups search and type in "driving". See if you can corroborate the conclusions of the student reports which were done several years ago. Is this still going on the same way?
(a) Select some
student reports at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups (i)
Discuss your reactions to what they did – their ideas, their method, and their
explanations. What did they gain from doing their reports? (ii) How do their
ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues?
Newsgroups can be compared to or called discussion groups. It is a system that is used online and is similar to forums. There are many different types of newsgroups and you could probably find one for just about any topic you can think of. People can post messages about the topic they want to discuss and other people can reply by leaving comments and other messages. You can easily find forums or newsgroups about driving.
Previous generation students did reports on newsgroups. For this part of the question, I picked three different reports:
1. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups/newsgroups27.html - by Greg Sugui
2. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups/newsgroups23.html - by Thadd
3. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups/newsgroups14.htm - by Wai Chong Pun
(i) This part of the question asks for my reaction to these reports. Basically, what these students had to do was go back and review previous newsgroup reports done by other students. All three reports had a link to the report’s instructions. It was confusing for me because it didn’t seem like any of the students really followed the instructions given. The titles were all wrong compared to the instructions and there were parts in the reports like conclusions or comparisons that weren’t mentioned in the instructions. I’m guessing there were a separate set of instructions that aren’t in the reports.
The reports by Greg and Thadd were both entitled “Attitudes Driving Newsgroups” and had a table of contents with links to each topic or message they were discussing. It seemed like both of them were reporting on newsgroups that dealt with driving. Report 3 by Wai Chong was reporting on newsgroups that dealt with many different issues. Not one of them dealt with driving. I’m guessing his report was about newsgroups in general and what they were. The part that confused me was that they all had the same instructions. It was interesting how their reports were different.
First, I will discuss Greg Sugui’s report. Greg’s report was very organized and easy to navigate around. He gave a detailed table of contents where you could see that he researched a lot about reckless and aggressive driving. His method for reporting was to put the message being discussed and put his own comment on the message that he found. He concluded by giving advice to future generations and giving his own conclusion about the assignment and newsgroups.
At first, I was very impressed with Greg Sugui’s comments. He gave very calm and rational reactions to all of the messages even though some messages were very angry and negative. He does a very good job of analyzing the author’s thoughts and even gives a lot of his own personal experiences as examples. However, at times I was disappointed that he didn’t go too much into detail about actual driving psychology. A lot of his comments touch the subject lightly but he does so with his own observations rather than with examples from lecture notes and such.
Greg explained that before reading the replies that were posted for the message, he wrote his own comment first. He didn’t want to be influenced by other people’s opinions and reactions. That was very smart on his part because it is very easy to be influenced by someone else’s opinions before you can come up with your own. Like I said before, he gave very logical analyses for the messages. He very much enjoyed doing this report and learned that newsgroups and tools as such are very important in informing the public on issues that might not be brought up.
The second report that I reviewed was by Thadd. Thadd’s report seemed very similar to Greg’s in that his report was also very organized and had detailed table of contents to show that his report was on newsgroups discussing driving issues.
In many of Thadd’s comments, he mentions terms like emotional intelligence and aggressive driving. This made me feel that this person really knows how to relate these driving topics to driving psychology. He knows the dangers of reckless driving and it’s shown when he comments on an article about driving 142 mph on the streets. He had an idea that aggressive drivers feed off of each other and influence each other. I agree with this idea.
I liked that Thadd wouldn’t always agree with the messages that he was reviewing. Actually, it seems like he picked some articles that he disagrees with. For example, one message brought up mass transit machines. Thadd didn’t agree that roads and automobiles should be replaced with mass transits. He believed that cars and driving are now so much a part of society that taking away someone’s car would be like taking away a part of their individuality. This was a topic that was brought up in one of our class meetings.
I feel like this report was difficult for Thadd at first in finding messages or postings that were interesting enough for him. However, after finding them and commenting on them, it seems like he learned a lot from them. He probably learned to better see situations from other people’s points of view. I would think that his understanding of driving psychology got better because he used a lot of driving psychology terms and was able to relate them to actual situations in the real world.
Finally, the third report that I reviewed was written by Wai Chong Pun. I was confused as to whether or not his report was written correctly. He commented on five postings and none of the postings had anything to do with driving. For the sake of reviewing, I will assume that the message postings that he picked to review were acceptable and that he was examining newsgroups in general rather than newsgroups about driving.
It seems that this person picked postings on topics that related to him. He had postings about computers, gaming, soccer, and Jackie Chan. Some of the postings about computers were confusing because I don’t know much about computer jargon. His reviews or comments were more like explanations of what the message was about. Wai Chong’s report was very different from Greg or Thadd’s reports. His comments seemed more like actual replies to the messages whereas Greg and Thadd’s were more analytical and served more of a purpose for the report.
If his report was to review in general what newsgroups are and how they work, he did a good job. His report gave a good picture of what an actual newsgroup or message board looks like. In his conclusion, he explains that newsgroups are good because you can hide your real identity. He would rather tell his secrets in a newsgroup rather than tell his real friends because he can still keep his identity a secret. I think that Wai Chong learned from this report that newsgroups can be a big support for people that need other people to talk to.
None of their reports or conclusions really talked too much about driving. It seemed like the focus was more on newsgroups themselves. I was hoping for more conclusions like whether or not driving newsgroups were positive or negative, whether they were helpful to society, and whether or not newsgroups would help make roads safer. I could come to my own conclusion that it seems like most of the newgroup postings were about people complaining. I wish there were a way for people to get more advice rather than a place to just complain.
(ii) After reviewing these three reports, I realized a lot about newsgroups. I guess in a way, it’s another term for forums. It is something that so many people use and engage in. It can be used positively, as can be seen in some of the reports, because it is a source of support. However, I learned that it can also be negative because it is a source of anger and hatred. Because it is anonymous, some people may feel that they have the right to say whatever they want to whether or not it is mean and harmful.
There were many things that I agreed and disagreed with as I was reading the reports, but the main thing that I learned was that we all need to learn to see things from different perspectives. When you open your eyes to the fact that other opinions can exist, you realize that you can be wrong at times. By reading other people’s comments in newsgroups, your ideas and your opinions can change. I learned that you need to be open to that. Reading messages and reports like these can really change your perspective on things and I think that is a good thing. Newsgroups really help inform the public.
(b) Now go to Google Groups search and type in "driving". See if you can corroborate the conclusions of the student reports which were done several years ago. Is this still going on the same way?
When I went onto Google Groups and searched for “driving”, the results showed 7,190,000 different groups and sites. There are just so many messages that are posted that are related to driving. Sometimes, it’s not even entirely about driving, but when it is, it seems to always be about something negative. Just like years before, people are still using newsgroups and forums as a way of venting.
I found that there were two types of messages involving driving. One type that was common was the complaining messages. These were the ones that are made by drivers that are just fed up by “incompetent” drivers. There are a lot of messages about how stupid some drivers can be. They write about ways that they get back at these bad drivers like tailgating them or purposely not letting them get ahead of them. It was very scary to see how negative these people were and how mean they could be. All of the behaviors they write about are reckless and aggressive.
The second type of message that I found a lot were the ones that complain about new laws or regulations that are being made or proposed by the government. A lot of people will get upset about a new law like the banning of cell phone usage while driving. The messages will basically sound angry and negative. It is usually filled with things that demean the government and the new law.
Basically, you can see that it is still pretty similar to what newsgroups looked and sounded like years ago. However, it was nice to see that there were still a few positive posts. Every now and then you could find a link where someone is asking for help with their cars or their driving and you would find very nice and positive feedback. There are also links or messages that bring up topics like speeding and aggressive driving. You can find both negative and positive comments here but it’s good that these newsgroups are being used in effective ways also.
The Question I am Answering is Question 04:
(a) Consider Table 4 in the Lecture Notes at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/409a-g25-lecture-notes.htm#Charts . Read the Section titled "The AWM Approach in Driver Self-Modification" where Table 4 is located. In your own words summarize what it is about.
(b) Now select the norms that characterize your threefold self as a driver, passenger, or pedestrian.
(c) Try the AWM procedure on at least two trips or episodes. What is your conclusion? How can this approach be promoted in our society?
(a) Consider Table 4
in the Lecture Notes at
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/409a-g25-lecture-notes.htm#Charts
. Read the Section titled "The AWM Approach in Driver
Self-Modification" where Table 4 is located. In your own words summarize
what it is about.
Table 4 in the lecture notes is entitled “The AWM Approach in Driver Self-Modification” and so it goes over what the AWM approach is. In addition to that, it also discusses the basic principles of driving psychology. First, I will go over and explain the AWM approach.
AWM stands for acknowledging, witnessing, and modifying. These are the three steps that a driver must take in order to change or better their driving behaviors. Acknowledging is to understand and accept a negative behavior that you have as a driver. For example, you can acknowledge the fact that you tend to speed and get impatient while driving to work. You understand that it is something you need to change. Once you acknowledge this, you can move onto the next step.
The next step is to witness this behavior while driving. Witnessing it means to see your actions and be aware of your emotions. You need to be able to witness your behavior in order to change it. Once you can see your actions and control them, you need to constantly work on modifying or changing your negative behavior into a positive one. This is the last step of modifying. The AWM will help a driver to change their negative habits into positive ones.
The next concept covered by Table 4 is the basic principles of driving psychology. There are eleven principles that are listed. I will not go over each and every principle in detail but all these principles tell you that driving is complex. It is not just a simple task that people do on a daily basis. Driving involves three domains which are affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor, that need to work together to make the driver’s three-fold self. A driver is also affected by parents, peers, and society. Everything works together in a complex system. That is an important concept to understand.
Another important principle of driving psychology is that driver education is never-ending. This principle ties in with the others that driving is a complex system. Since driving is so complex, it only makes sense that there is a lot to learn. Just as society changes, so does driving. There are always new laws to learn and new technology to get used to. Driving is a skill that needs to constantly be re-learned and practiced.
(b) Now select the
norms that characterize your threefold self as a driver, passenger, or
pedestrian.
As I mentioned before in section A of this question, the driver’s three-fold self is comprised of the affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor domains. I will go over each domain and explain the norms that are exhibited by this generation. The affective domain deals with your feelings as a driver. These can be positive or negative but in our generation, the affective norms are negative and anti-social.
As for the cognitive domain, it deals with the driver’s thoughts and judgments. This domain is what is used when we are trying to assess a driving situation. Our generation’s norms are to make wrong judgments and assessments. The sensorimotor domain deals with a driver’s actions. After the affective and cognitive domains kick in, the sensorimotor domain is what makes us behave the way we do as drivers. Our generation’s norms can be seen as being immature.
I have always known that I was an aggressive driver. I think I pretty much follow the negative norms of our generation. One affective norm is competitiveness. I drive with the attitude that I own the road and that anyone who is driving in a manner that I don’t like is just asking to compete with me. For some reason, even when there’s no traffic, I feel like I shouldn’t let people get in front of me. If I know that the other driver is trying to pass me or get in front of me, I don’t want to let him go. It turns into a game for me. This is all because I have the attitude of competitiveness. This is a negative norm.
Other affective norms that I relate to include the need to punish, intolerance of other drivers, and the acceptance of risk-taking. I feel that all of these norms lead back to my attitude that I own the road. I often get frustrated with slow drivers and other drivers that I feel are incompetent. I feel that they should get off the road and learn how to drive. I know that is a common feeling that many drivers experience. Sometimes, I feel the need to punish these drivers that get in my way. This leads to my readiness to exhibit risky behaviors. It’s easy for me to feel that I have a right to speed or be risky.
I also exhibit some of the cognitive norms. I tend to have very biased thoughts that are self-serving. In some situations, I tend to first put the blame on other people and put myself up on a high pedestal. I don’t stop to think about my actions, but I always judge other drivers and blame them for being bad drivers. This leads to inaccurate assessments of situations. The blame is put on the other driver and so this means that I believe that I am a very good driver. This could easily lead to driving in very risky manners.
The sensorimotor domain is now where everything comes together. My affective and cognitive domains are influencing my actions and so it only makes sense that if I exhibit negative norms in those domains, I will exhibit negative norms in the sensorimotor domain. My actions tend to be very negative and risky.
A negative norm of our generation is our tendency to have bad habits. I find myself getting angry, speeding, and tailing people purely out of habit. It’s so common for this to happen and I often don’t realize that I am driving that way until it’s too late. I am already in a situation where everyone is angry.
Another negative sensorimotor norm that I practice is errors in perception. Many times, I forget how fast I am going. I feel that it is okay for me to drive a little faster but I soon find myself driving 60 on a road where the speed limit is 35-40 mph. Something that scares me is just how inaccurate my perception of space and distance is. Many times, I don’t realize how close I am getting to another car when I am angry until a passenger tells me.
All of these feelings, thoughts, and actions are negative and it is a shame that they are the norms of this generation. Driving in itself is already a dangerous task and yet we all engage in risky behaviors that make it even that much more dangerous. We need to start being more aware of our feelings and actions and safer, positive driving needs to be promoted. The AWM procedure seems like a good way to start changing our negative habits into more positive ones.
(c) Try the AWM
procedure on at least two trips or episodes. What is your conclusion? How can
this approach be promoted in our society?
On my first trip, I acknowledged the fact that I am competitive. That is one of the main reasons I speed and engage in risky behaviors. I thought that if I could change my need to be competitive on the road, I could easily change many of my other thoughts and actions. This was the first step in the procedure. I acknowledged that I felt this need to compete and be in the lead when I am driving.
The second
step now was to witness this behavior or feeling. I was driving to my friend’s
house in
That second step led to me realizing that I was being competitive. I felt like it was a game where those other cars were trying to cheat. When I witnessed that, I tried to change my feelings. In other words, I was taking the last final step to modify my feelings and behaviors. I knew how I felt and I knew what I normally would do, which is to speed up and not let people cut in front of me.
In order to modify my feelings, I started telling myself that maybe the other driver wasn’t purposely trying to cut in front of the other cars. I thought perhaps this driver is a tourist or is new to this area and didn’t know that the other lane didn’t merge onto the freeway. I also tried telling myself that if I didn’t stop to let the car in, I would be angering that driver and causing more traffic in the end. This really helped to change how I saw the situation and in the end, I kindly slowed down to let the car get into the lane. Although I had done the three steps in the procedure, I knew I had to practice many times.
On that same trip, I witnessed the same feelings of competitiveness again. After getting off the freeway at my exit, I found that I needed to get into the right lane. There was a car behind me in that lane and so I put my blinker on and sped up to get in front of that car. The car also sped up at that time and I automatically got upset. I witnessed myself getting upset and assessing the situation in a wrong way. I assumed the other driver was purposely speeding up to not let me into his/her lane. I witnessed myself exhibiting negative affective and cognitive norms.
The next step is to modify and so I stopped to change my feelings and thoughts. I tried to tell myself that maybe the other driver hadn’t seen my blinker and didn’t know that I wanted to get into the lane. I also stopped to wonder why I felt the need to get in front of him. My first purpose was just to get into the right lane. I figured out that I could easily get into the lane by just slowing down. It was as easy as that. I slowed down and eventually got into the right lane behind the other car. Afterwards, I realized that if I had done that from the beginning and not been competitive, I could’ve avoided being upset.
On my second trip, I acknowledged the fact that I am very impatient and intolerant of other drivers and I feel the need to go out and punish them. I know that many times, I find myself getting upset and frustrated because other drivers are going too slow or are doing things that I find to be incompetent. Many times, I focus so much on the way other people drive that I don’t pay attention to how I am driving myself. This leads to risky behaviors.
On this second trip, I tried to witness myself exhibiting this feeling. I was driving down a main road one day and was in a lane that only went straight. The lane to my right was one that only turned right. There was a white car in that lane and when the light turned green, the white car sped up to get in front of my and get into my lane. At first, I hadn’t noticed because I was just focusing on going straight. If I hadn’t eventually seen him, I would’ve ended up hitting the side of his car. Luckily, I saw him early enough to slam on my brakes. Needless to say, this really upset me.
I witnessed myself wanting to speed up and punish this car somehow. I wanted to honk and cut him off to let him know that he had done something very wrong and dangerous. At that point, I stopped to modify my thoughts and behaviors. I told myself that it could’ve been a mistake. He could’ve mistaken the lane for one that goes straight and could’ve thought that I was the one cutting into his lane. I also thought to myself that it could be someone that I know. I wouldn’t be getting so upset if it had been my dad who had done that.
When I thought of it that way, it was easier for me to just let it go. Besides, trying to punish him would only put me and others in danger because I would start driving like a maniac. I realized that I drive with this attitude very often. After just modifying it one time, I knew that I could easily modify that behavior and change it into a positive habit.
Trying the AWM procedure has really shown me how much my negative driving behaviors were a habit to me. I do so many risky things when driving out of habit and I don’t even realize it. It is a danger not only to me but everyone else on the road and in my car. In my opinion, the AWM procedure really works but it takes a lot of practice and will. It’s not something that will change your habits in one try but with time, you can change many of your negative behaviors.
Promoting this procedure in society would be very helpful. Many drivers would benefit from it. I would definitely recommend this procedure to my friends. It could easily be taught to drivers through driver’s education classes and programs. When others see how much of a positive change there is with drivers who practice the AWM procedure, I am sure more people will try it.
The Question I am Answering is Question 05:
(a) Our textbook Road Rage and Aggressive Driving has checklist exercises in several chapters. Have a friend do the following four exercises:
(i) Exercise on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings on p. 65-66
(ii) Exercise on Are You an Aggressive Competitor on p. 104-5
(iii) Exercise on Positive Driving Behaviors on p. 212-3
(iv) Exercise on Your Passive Aggressive Road Rage Tendency on p. 88-9
(b) Discuss the results with your friends. How do you explain the results? Where did they get this style of reacting and driving? How do they help you understand some principles of driving psychology mentioned in the book?
(c) Discuss how this activity helps you to become more aware of yourself as a driver.
(a) Our textbook Road
Rage and Aggressive Driving has checklist exercises in several chapters. Have a
friend do the following four exercises:
(i) Exercise on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings on p.
65-66
(ii) Exercise on Are You an Aggressive Competitor on p. 104-5
(iii) Exercise on Positive Driving Behaviors on p. 212-3
(iv) Exercise on Your Passive Aggressive Road
Rage Tendency on p. 88-9
For this question, I asked one of my close friends to help me out and do the checklist exercises. I chose her because she is one of those drivers that seem to know what they are doing and rarely ever get upset. I thought it would be interesting to see how she really felt while driving.
(b) Discuss the
results with your friends. How do you explain the results? Where did they get
this style of reacting and driving? How do they help you understand some
principles of driving psychology mentioned in the book?
(i) Exercise on Aggressive Thoughts
and Feelings on p. 65-66
This was an exercise that had three separate checklists. It was made to help you find the aggressive feelings you have while driving. The first checklist was about fantasies of punishment and revenge. It included statements about ramming into other cars and scaring slow pedestrians. There were 12 statements and she didn’t check off any of them! This was very surprising for me because I would’ve checked off at least half. While I was reading the statements to her, she was very shocked that people actually felt that way while driving.
The second checklist was entitled “High-Pressure Driving and Competition”. There were seven statements. Of the seven, she checked off two. They were the ones where she showed impatience for slow traffic when she is late and having everybody else get off the road so she can pass. Although she checked them off, she later told me that it was more light-hearted. When she is in a rush, she feels that way, but when she isn’t, she really doesn’t mind the traffic or slow drivers.
The third checklist was entitled “Impulsive and Reckless Driving”. Of the eight statements, she checked off three. They were enjoying loud music, driving when tired and less alert, and enjoying driving fast late at night when there are no cars. She felt that out of all the statements, those three characterized her most and she didn’t really understand why they were on the checklist. She thought that those actions weren’t really aggressive or harmful. She was surprised to find those statements under the impulsive and reckless driving section.
(ii) Exercise on Are You an Aggressive
Competitor on p. 104-5
This exercise dealt with the fact that Americans see competitiveness as a good thing. Although competition can be a good motivator, on the road, it can lead to dangerous situations. A lot of times, you might be driving competitively and not even realize it. This was seen when my friend did this checklist.
Of the ten statements, she agreed with five of the statements. She was surprised that she checked off half of the statements because she feels that normally isn’t a very competitive person. I can tell you, she is one of the calmest people I know. Still, she agreed and accepted that she was competitive on the road. She said that unless you are slightly aggressive on the road, you’ll never get anywhere. Still, she knew that although she had competitive feelings, she rarely acted on them. I guess there is a different between feeling competitive and acting competitive.
(iii) Exercise on Positive Driving Behaviors on p. 212-3
This exercise had a checklist with statements about positive and supportive driving behaviors. These were behaviors that should be exhibited by all drivers and it is probably a standard that we should all strive to achieve. For this exercise, you had to check off the attitudes or behaviors that you would be willing to adopt as a driver. There were 14 statements in all. Of the 14, my friend checked off all of them.
When I told her that she had agreed to all of the statements, she simply replied that she either already had those attitudes, or they seemed like obvious attitudes that drivers should have. She mentioned that most people would probably check off all of the statements because people with morals know that those behaviors are the ones that we should have. The problem begins when people don’t follow those attitudes and behaviors. Many people know right from wrong but many times, we fail to do the right thing. I think she made a very good point on that one.
(iv) Exercise on Your Passive Aggressive Road
Rage Tendency on p. 88-9
The final exercise was entitled “Your Passive Aggressive Road Rage Tendency”. I was looking forward to this one because I feel that my friend can be very passive aggressive in many different situations. She is not the type to be in your face aggressive. She also knows that she can be very passive. Passive aggressive on the other hand is a different issue. It was surprising for me to see the results.
Of the ten statements, she checked off only one. The one that she checked off was the one where she makes gestures to herself when she is angry at other pushy drivers. I noticed that was the only one that didn’t really affect other drivers or people. She wasn’t too surprised to see those results because she knows that she doesn’t like confrontation. Even being passive aggressive is being confrontational to her because she is still affecting other people if she slows down purposely.
Conclusion
At first, I was disappointed because I was hoping to uncover some secrets about her real thoughts while driving. All I got was reassurance that she really is a calm, positive, and supportive driver. Still, I was happy that I had one friend that didn’t drive aggressively because most of my friends and I are very aggressive when driving. I knew that I could learn a lot from her driving style.
I could see that her personality out of the car transferred into her driving personality. She is always a very passive person. She does not enjoy confrontations and she is the type to support others and make things comfortable for her peers. You can see that she is like that even as a driver. Although she is passive, she is not passive aggressive and without even knowing it, she has been a supportive driver. Every now and then she will get upset while driving, but that is understandable. You can’t expect her to be perfect.
I also noticed that her parents are very similar to her. Her father, who is the one that taught her how to drive, is also a very passive and calm man. He rarely says a word and I have never seen him get upset. On the road, he is very alert and never swears or cuts people off. I can see where my friend got her driving style. It is clear that it was taught to her and transferred from her father.
Seeing this really confirmed one of the driving psychology principles. The principle was that the norms of driving are passed on by parents, other adults, and media. She was always very sheltered and a lot of her values come straight from her parents. You can see that her father’s driving style was passed onto her because that is what she grew up with. I also realized that the norms of our generation are just that: norms. It doesn’t mean that everyone drives that way. People like my friend still exist out there and those are the drivers we need to strive to be like.
(c) Discuss how this
activity helps you to become more aware of yourself as a driver.
Although this activity required me to have a friend do the checklists and exercises, I also followed along and did the checklists for myself. It was eye-opening to see how many of the negative statements I related to. I was the complete opposite of my friend. I always knew I was an aggressive driver but I never knew how bad I was until now. It made me wonder whether I was only like that as a driver, or if it also transferred over to my personality outside the car. That was a scary thought.
I realized that I knew how to drive in a positive and supportive manner. I agreed with everything in the third exercise. It wasn’t an issue of not knowing right from wrong. It became and issue when I saw that even though I knew what was right, I chose to ignore it and do what was wrong and negative. I am really putting myself and others in danger. This exercise really helped me to see just how dangerous my driving style was.
After coming to a conclusion with my friend’s results, I wondered where my driving style came from. I watched my dad drive for a few days and I realized that he is just like my friend. He is the exact opposite of me. So, where could I have gotten this style from? It couldn’t have been my mom because she never drove when I was young. Even now, she hardly drives.
Then I realized that the main person that taught me how to drive was my boyfriend. Although I had gotten my license before I met him, I never drove until I met him. He re-taught me how to drive on the road. He is the most competitive and aggressive driver I know. I knew I had to have learned from him because the habits that I have are all the habits that he exhibits.
Doing this type of activity is really helpful in opening your eyes to your own driving skills. Many people are in denial and don’t see just how dangerous they are on the road. It would be great if everyone could do this exercise honestly and realize what kind of driving style they have. It won’t really make people change but it’s the first step and maybe after realizing things, they will move on and try out the AWM procedure mentioned earlier in this report.
Advice to Future Generations
Let’s start off with the most common and important advice. You do not want to procrastinate. This is a class that meets once a week and all of the assignments are up to you to do on your own time. It’s very easy for you to tell yourself that you will do the outlines and reports later on, but I will tell you now, those outlines will creep up on you and you will end up with a lot of work at the end of the semester if you don’t get started early. Starting on your work early in the semester will help eliminate a lot of stress from your life.
If you procrastinate, you won’t really be learning much. By keeping up with your weekly outlines and readings, you will come to class prepared to listen and discuss the day’s topics. Trust me, reading or at least skimming the chapters before class will really make the presentations more enjoyable. You will understand the concepts better and that will really help you when you are trying to write your reports. Don’t try to read the chapters one by one right before writing your report. It will show that you did not try.
Another important piece of advice is to go to every class. It may seem like a long two hours listening to presentations when you can just read the books or articles yourself, but going to class will really help you to gain more insight on the topics and maybe even realize things that you wouldn’t have realized on your own. Also, participate in the discussions. You will help yourself by asking questions about the topic and you can also help other students by giving your insight.
This is a class about driving psychology. It isn’t like a driver’s education class where you will learn the mechanics of driving. Rather, it is a class that will teach you how to become a safer and more aware driver. It will also give you the tools to teach others around you how to become supportive drivers. You may have started out taking this course just to fulfill your major requirements. However, you will gain so much out of this course not only as a student, but also as a driver and responsible adult of society.
Knowing your way around computers and the internet is an important skill. Another important skill is being able to read and follow detailed instructions. This class will really help you practice both of those skills. As a driver, you will be able to better assess your driving situations and behaviors to keep yourself as well as others safe. In order to take advantage of this course, do not procrastinate and make sure to take an active role in class. It would be a shame to cut class and put together empty words for your report. You will be missing out on a chance that you won’t find anywhere else.
My homepage: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2006/kim/kim-home.htm
Class homepage: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/classhome-g25.htm