Outline of My Third Oral Presentation
Communication can make all the Difference
This is a
presentation of Driving Lessons, By
J. Peter Rothe, The University of Alberta Press,
By: Amy Beeler
Instructions for this oral presentation are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/g22-oral.htm
I. Communications, Individuals and Relevance-don’t over generalize or oversimplify when describing large groups of people.
A. Communication systems will have to be formed by a wide spectrum of arguments and approaches in order to reach different conceptions.
B. In every case, create a “field of relevance” where relevance prompts attention and prepares reception. If an individual cannot relate, they cannot be communicated with. Field of Relevance sometimes takes place on the basis of an emotional appeal (touching the viewer).
a. Focuses not on basis of fearing being killed in car accident, but fearing being responsible for causing the pain of another person—especially a loved one.
b. People tend to believe that their own pain is their individual problem and their business if they get into a crash. (Austr.campain: living in wheelchair, criminal charges, losing license, Jail, maiming or killing another person).
C. Reaching people on a personal level starts within the small community and works outward-hinging on notion of responsibility.
II. Language, Culture, and the Car
A. Word: accident-implies a chance occurrence and frees everybody from responsibility. But really, they are the result of mistaken perceptions, wrong decisions, and failed adjustment to conditions, errors and distractions. Only 3% of cases are of unforeseeable mechanical failures.
B. In addition, other constructs result in same lack of responsibility: “the weather was a factor,” “Road conditions were poor.” These expressions lead one to assume that the drivers could not notice bad weather, road conditions or fog while driving, and thus could not adjust their driving accordingly. Ex: “…Chevy cavalier failed to make a curve and drove off road…” implies that the car had will of its own, and killed innocent people.
C. Teenagers failed to yield and caused major accident killing them. Newspaper concentrates on how nice the teens were, instead of their lack of responsibility that put not only their lives at risk, but the other driver and is family at risk as well.
D. Above are examples of structures of language that needs to change to alter people’s perceptions and their notion of responsible use of the car.
III. Driving as Communication
A. Focus group says what they like most about driving is the freedom to get to point A to point B. They leave out the doing donuts in snowy parking lots or speeding around corners to show off for friends, etc.
B. Driving is a cultural activity, a social activity and, therefore, an act of communication. Driving a car is an aesthetic act, so when anything interrupts this, i.e. “bad drivers” or “the lack of courtesy of other drivers” it is resented. Focus groups would say these things bothered them, putting the obligation for courtesy on other drivers.
a. Modify aesthetics of driving like those of smoking and hockey helmets.
Helpful Links:
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/aggressive/unsafe/att-beh/cov-toc.html
www.smartmotorist.com/agg/agg.htm
My
Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2005/beeler/home.htm