Psych 409a: September 10, 2006

Neuropsychology and Hazards of Driving

By:  Justin Koito

 

Instructions for this activity are found at:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

 

Peter Rothe, Editor (2002).  Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer.  (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press).  Overview of Chapter 2: Neuro-Behavioural Variables and Traffic Safety.  Overview of Chapter 3: Dealing With Stress, Aggression and Pressure in the Vehicle.  Pages 10-34

 

I.                    Personal Sub-Systems

A.     Health Sub-Systems: health directly affects traffic and subsystems

B.     Social Sub-Systems: everyday knowledge reproduces controversies

C.     Cultural Sub-Systems: if we view culture, we notice our weaknesses and strengths

 

II.                 Neuropsychology

A.     Driving

a)      Complex task that utilizes attention, visual-spatial abilities, and information processing

B.     Screening

a)      Senior citizen fatalities are higher due to illnesses that effect cognitive abilities

b)      Young driver are more likely to die due to speed and alcohol

c)      People suffering from disease need to be tested because they could lack visual tasks and decision making

d)      Those who performed poorly on the visual attention task are 2.2 times likely o get into an accident

C.     Sensation-Seeking

a)      Occurs in Limbic System

1)      involves reward and punishment

2)      Risky driving is related to sensation-seeking

D.     Other Risks

a)      Drowsiness

b)      Handedness

1)  Left handed people are two times likely to crash and four times likely to die in an accident

c)      Attitudes

d)      Cultural Surroundings

 

III.               15 Stressors

1)      Immobility

2)      Constriction

3)      Regulation

4)      Lack of Control

5)      Being put in danger

6)      Territoriality

7)      Diversity

8)      Multi-tasking

9)      Denying Our Mistakes

10)  Cynicism

11)  Loss Objectivity

12)  Venting

13)  Unpredictability

14)  Ambiguity

15)  Lack of emotional intelligence

 

IV.              Road Rage/Aggressive Driving

A.      Learned through society and culture

B.     Government combats aggressive driving through programs

a)      other form is citizens reporting aggressor

 

 

V.                 Psychology of Driving

A.     Principles

1) Complex behavior

2) 3 norms: affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor

3) Transmitted through parents and media

B.     Personality makes type of driver

C.     Helpful Learning

1) Support groups (i.e. Quality Driving Circles)

2) Self improvement/reflection

 

Related Links

  1. Association of Handedness: http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/8/1040 - I picked this article because it helped to see if being left handed really mattered on the accident and death rate that was written about in the text of Driving Lesson: Evolving Systems that Make Traffic Safer

 

  1. Alcohol and Risk Seeking: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2782130&dopt=Abstract – This article shows the connection alcohol and sensation seeking driving saying that those who drink are high risk takers as more alcohol is consumed

 

  1. Screening: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/StopImpaired/SBI.htm - This article was chosen since it identified some of the problems with impaired driving and how law enforcement is trying to battle it with enforcement, support for courts, and screening

 

My Home page:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2006/koito/koito-home.htm

Class Home Page:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/classhome-g25.htm