Outline of My First Oral
Presentation
Neuropsychology and Driving
This is a presentation of Driving Lessons, J.
Peter Rothe,
By Justin Golder
Instructions for this oral
presentation are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/g22-oral.htm
I. Neuropsychology
A. Neuropsychology covers complex aspects of cognition and behavior which include memory, attention, language, perception, planning and decision- making, personality, and social behavior.
B. Driving is a complex cognitive task with demands on attention, visuo-spatial abilities and information processing.
C. Neuropsychology is so important because it is really the study of what makes us do the things we do, as well as provide us with ideas on how to reduce potentially harmful effects we create.
1. Rumble strips on the side of the road.
2. Driving schools for people with disabilities.
3. Cognitive tests for driver screening.
II. Neuropsychology can be used as a improved screening system for potential at-risk drivers
A. Young drivers in particular are at serious risk when driving a car.
a. Sensation-seeking is the need for complex sensations and the willingness to take potentially harmful risks to achieve these sensations.
1. Sensation-seeking may be caused by levels of norepinephrine and dopamine levels.
B. Assessment ot patients who wish to drive after suffering an acute disease, such as a stroke.
a. Stroke patients in many countries must pass a medical-psychological test however simple cognitive tests can be used to more easily identify at-risk drivers
b. Visual perception is another key to finding out which stroke patients are more likely to have a high crash risk.
1. Right hemisphere lesions cause visual spatial task deficits.
2. Left hemisphere lesions cause difficulties in complex spatial tasks.
3. Problems with visual perception.
III. Neuropsychology can help reduce fallible human behavior in driving.
A. Drowsy driving is a serious problem for drivers around the world.
a. Sleep is a biological need.
b. Lack of sleep impairs driving performance
c. Sleep disorders, such as apnea and narcolepsy.
B. Handedness can also be a cause for accidents.
a. 90 percent of people right handed.
b. Left-handers twice as likely to have car crashes and nearly four times as likely to die in car crashes.
c. Left-handers reflexes different from right-handers.
d. Gearshafts on car more hazardous for left-handers.
Helpful Links:
For information on disabilities and driving fact sheet go to:
http://www.driver-ed.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=330
For information on drowsy driving go to:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/activities/daaamain.cfm
For information on driving and neurological disease go to: