Report
Two:
My
Understanding of Driving Psychology
By: Malia
Tarayao
Instructions
for this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/409a-g22-report2.htm
I am
answering Questions: 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7
The
Question I am answering is # 1:
(a) Consider Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the Lecture Notes,
in the Section on Driving Psychology Theory and Charts at: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/409a-g22-lecture-notes.htm#Charts Consult
the article from which the Tables were taken. (b) Using your own words,
describe the three behavioral domains and levels of a driver (nine cells). (c)
Illustrate each domain with your own driving behavior skills and errors, or
that of another driver you know well, or a driver in a particular movie. (d)
Make up a "driving personality makeover" plan for yourself (or
another driver you know well), relating specifically to negative thoughts you
have about other road users. (e) Discuss the problems you anticipate in
carrying out such a plan successfully. (f) Any other comments you wish to make.
A) After considering tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the
Lecture Notes (www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/409a-g22-lecture-notes.htm#Charts),
letters B-E are some of the conclusions I have made.
B) Three Behavioral Domains and levels of a driver:
There
are three behavioral domains of a driver.
Those three domains are the Affective, Cognitive, and Sensorimotor. The affective is the feelings that a driver
experiences. The cognitive is the
thinking, or the thoughts a driver has.
The Sensorimotor is the actions that a driver takes.
In
addition to the different domains, there are also different levels; levels one,
two, and three. Level One is labeled
“Proficiency” and is talking about a new driver and the focus they need to have
in all three domains. At level one of
the affective domain, the driver needs to stay calm and alert. In the cognitive domain, the driver needs to
be able to think and figure out what is going on around him. In the sensorimotor domain, he needs to be
able to control the performance of his body in making sure he has control over
the vehicle.
Level
two refers to “Safety”. At the
affective level, it is talking about a driver’s motive to avoid any trouble
situations. At the cognitive level, it
talks about the driver being able to identify any trouble situations and use
problem solving skills if needed. At
the sensorimotor level it talks about a driver actually doing the right actions
to stay out of the trouble situations.
Level three is labeled “Responsibility”. At the affective level this refers to being responsible and taking account for any harm or injury that you may cause another. This creates thoughts that are prosocial rather than antisocial which falls under the cognitive domain. And this leads to whether a driver is happy or stressed out while driving which falls under the sensorimotor domain.
Within
each level of each domain, there are also the skills and errors that a driver
performs. The errors are represented by
a negative symbol (-) and the skills are represented by a positive (+)
symbol.
C) My own driving behavior skills and errors:
|
|
Affective |
Cognitive |
Sensorimotor |
|
Level 3 Responsibility |
(+) Feeling accountable
for my actions (-) Feeling others always are
making mistakes. |
(+) Acknowledging my part
in any traffic situations. (-) Blaming other drivers
for traffic situations. |
(+) Enjoying the time in
the car (music, scenery, etc.) (-) Stressing about
traffic. |
|
Level 2 Safety |
(+) Supportive driving. (-) Being aggressive in driving. |
(+) Thinking about any
consequences of my actions. (-) Being overconfident in
my driving skills. |
(+) Acting according to
the consequences that may affect me. (-) Multitasking while
driving. |
|
Level 1 Proficiency |
(+) Feeling like all
traffic rules apply to me too. (-) Feeling it is okay for
me to drive a little over the speed limit if I’m careful. |
(+) Knowing the speed
limits and what the traffic signs mean. (-) When I started driving
I didn’t know what some of the driving rules were. |
(+) Getting to know the
vehicle I drive and how it operates. (-) Being careless with
putting too much pressure on the gas.
(speeding) |
D) My Driving Personality
Makeover
|
Stage 1: Avoid Criticizing Other
Drivers |
||
|
Affective Level Overcoming my urge to criticize. |
Cognitive Level Being rational in my thoughts about others. |
Sensorimotor Level Acting positive towards others. |
|
|
|
|
Stage 2: Supporting Other Drivers
on the Road |
||
|
Affective Level Maintaining a positive attitude towards other
drivers. |
Cognitive Level
Be objective in my thoughts about others. |
Sensorimotor Level Consciously acting in a happy manner at all times
and in all situations. |
|
|
|
E) Any Problems that I
Anticipate
The
Question I am answering is #3:
(a)
Discuss these two Web sites: drivers.com vs. drdriving.org by first describing their overall
appearance and purpose. (b) What are their main differences? Be sure to
consider at least these areas: (i) articles (ii) newsletters (iii) style (iv)
probable audience (v) public relations or policy (vi) advertising (vii) size
(vii) ranking (viii) Other sites that link to each. (c) Any other comments you
wish to make.
(a) The over appearance and purpose of drivers.com and
drdriving.org.
In
the overall appearance of the two websites above, I would have to say that
drivers.com seems to be a more professional website. The appearance looks like a professional web designer did it,
whereas drdriving.org looks as if an amateur web designer did it.
(b) Some of the main differences that I found were in the
articles, style, probable audience, and advertising.
·
Both websites have many
different articles on their website.
However, I found that the articles on drdriving.org were meant to be
more educational rather than just for the readers’ information. The articles on drdriving.org were meant to
educate people on good driving and their behavior. They were more geared towards helping people become better
drivers.
·
The style of each
website was pretty different from each other.
The drivers.com site was one where at the home page, you would decide if
you wanted to know about computer drivers or drivers as in “driving a
car”. It was just one page that you
didn’t have to scroll down or anything and you chose the link you wanted to go
to. From there, you could navigate
wherever you wanted to go throughout the website.
On
the other hand, on drdriving.org, it was one long page that you could scroll
down and look at everything. There was
also a list of links on the side to help you find exactly what you were looking
for. It seemed like a more simplistic
website.
·
The probable audience
of each site seemed like it was different as well. It seemed as thought the audience that drdriving.org was intended
for was people of all ages, however, it was more directed to the younger
crowd. I felt this way because of the
design or style of the website as well as the articles that were geared towards
helping people learn about aggressive driving and how to have better driving
behavior.
Drivers.com seemed
like it was geared more towards the older crowd of people. It is also geared towards an audience of car
buffs who are interested in the cars and not just the driving aspect of
driving.
·
The advertising was a
bit different on the websites as well.
On drivers.com there seemed to be a lot more advertisements or at least
it was more visible, while on drdriving.org, the advertisements were on the
side and not really a nuisance to viewing the site.
·
Overall, I thought that
both websites seemed to be very helpful and informational. If I ever need more information on any topic
of driving I know that I will be able to come to these websites and get the
information that I need.
The
Question I am answering is #4:
(a) Select six student reports on driving psychology from
Generation 20 , as listed in the Readings Section of the Lecture Notes. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/409a-g22-lecture-notes.htm#g20-reports
You must select any two students from Report 1, two different
students from Report 2, and two still different students from Report 3. So
there will be a total of six different students, two students for each report.
(b) Summarize each of the six reports. Be sure you put a link to the report you
are referring to. (c) Add a General Conclusion Section in which you discuss
your reactions to what they did – (i) their ideas, (ii) their method, (iii)
their explanations. (d) What did they gain from doing their reports? (e) How do
their ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues? (e) Any other
comments you wish to make.
(a) Report 1 By: Sarah E. Phillips
Driving
Psychology: Theory and Application
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/phillips/report1.htm
(b) Summary
Sarah’s
report had a Preface, an Introduction, Definitions, Autobiographical section, a
conclusion, and a section for future generations. She introduces the topic of driving psychology and talks about
how it affects her in her life.
Some
of the definitions were of the Driver’s Threefold self, Self-witnessing
methodology, road rage, aggressive driving legislation, the driver’s emotional
intelligence, the drover’s emotional spin cycle, Lifelong driver education, and
the left-lane bandit. In her
autobiographical section she talks about herself as a driver and the things
that influence and affect her as a driver.
(a) Report 1: By Ikue Fukushima
Practical
Applications in Driving Psychology
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/fukushima/report1.htm
(b) Summary
This
report was on the practical applications in driving psychology. First there was a preface in which Ikue told
a story about an incident her boyfriend had with aggressive driving. She then had an intro that talked about the
driving course in general and a little bit about her own position as a driver.
The
next section was for definitions. There
were ten different concepts that she defined.
Some of hose concepts were: Driver’s Threefold self, Self-witnessing
methodology, road rage, aggressive driving legislation, the driver’s emotional
intelligence, the drover’s emotional spin cycle, Lifelong driver education, and
the left-lane bandit.
The
next section was all about her driving background and behavior and the
influences that affect her as a driver.
She then had a conclusion section as well as Advice to future
generations.
(a) Report2 by: Chris Concepcion
My
Driving Personality Makeover Project
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/concep/report%202.htm
(b) Summary
This
report was about a driving personality makeover. There was a preface in the beginning and then an
introduction. In the introduction,
Chris talks about the different questionnaires from the text that he did to
find out more about the areas of driving he needed improvement in.
In
the third section he talks about the design of his experiment, the data he
collected, his analysis of it, and his conclusions drawn from this experiment
as well as his plans for the future. He
then has a Conclusion Section as well as Advice to Future Generations.
(a) Report 2 By Jenny Arakaki
My
Driving Personality Makeover Project
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report2.htm
(b) Summary
This
was another report on a driving personality makeover. It followed the same format as the previous report 2 with a
Preface in which she talks about her report 1 and the objective of report 2. She was trying to create a model to help her
get rid of her bad driving habits by going through a driver personality
makeover.
She
then has an introduction where she has a self-assessment to find out more about
her driving personality. She then goes
into her experiment design and talks about her experiment and solutions. She also gives her data, discussion, and
conclusions on her experiment. She then
has a general conclusion section for her report 2 and advice to future
generations.
(a) Report 3 By: Jeremy Kubo
My
Proposal for Lifelong Driver Education
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kubo/report3.htm
(b) Summary
This
report was on the proposal for a lifelong driver education program. The purpose of the report was to be able to
understand the importance of lifelong driver education and how to help
implement a solution to continue this type of education for people of all ages
from infancy to old age.
Within
the report there was a section on class discussion and lecture notes. Jeremy discusses three in class
presentations and the topics that they covered. He then has a section where he proposes his ideas for lifelong
driver education. He then has a
conclusion section and ends with advice for future generations.
(a) Report 3 By: Sayo Yoshino
My
Proposal for Lifelong Driver Education
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/sayo/report3.htm
(b)
Summary
This report was also on the proposal for Lifelong Driver Education. The purpose of this report was to introduce Dr. James’ Lifelong Driver Education. There is a section on Class discussion and lecture notes section where Sayo discusses the oral presentations that were given in class.
Sayo then has a section called “My Proposal for Lifelong Driver Education” where the stages of life are divided up into sections and ideas for driver education are presented. There is then a conclusion section and Advice to future generations.
(c) General Conclusions
(i) Their Ideas: I think that for the most part, each of these students seemed to have done a very good job on their reports. The ideas that they shared seemed to be right on with what I assume was being discussed in class.
(ii)
Their Methods: I think that each of the reports that I read
seemed to have followed the directions very precisely. Since there were two reports from report
one, report two and report three, I was able to see how each student followed
the directions and where they may have varied a little and added some of their
own creativity.
(iii)
Their
Explanations: I think that each of
these students had good insight to driving psychology. They were able to explain and define the
topics that they chose to talk about and they were able to interpret and apply
the concepts to their own lives. I feel
like I have gotten a good grasp of the concepts presented because they were
able to explain them in a manner that I was able to understand.
(d) What did they gain from doing these reports?
I think that these students were able to gain a lot from doing their reports. They were able to learn a lot about themselves not only as a driver but also just as a person who associates with others. I think it was great especially in the report 2 that they were able to do a driving personality makeover project on themselves. I feel like that would be very beneficial.
It was also great how they carried what they learned from report one to report two and to report three as well. It was a great thing for them to be able to use their report 2 finding about themselves and realize the importance of Lifelong Driver Education in their report 3.
(e)
How do their Ideas influence what I think about these
issues?
To be perfectly honest, I feel like I was already on the same page as they were for the issues that they were discussing. I think that me reading their reports just solidifies my perspective that I had on things before.
Seeing how they were able to do their own driving personality makeover shows me that it really is helpful and it is something I would like to try sometime.
(f)
Any other comments I wish to make
I think that reading these reports was a great was to see how other people did their reports and what the previous generations were doing. I think I liked the format of their reports because they were focused on things more specifically rather than doing five different questions. It was also great how each report going from one through three sort of built upon the previous report. I think that was a great way to do it.
The
Question I am answering is #5:
(a) Consider Table 5 in
the Lecture Notes, in the Section on Driving Psychology Theory and Charts at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy21/409a-g21-lecture-notes.htm#Charts
(b) Consult the article from which the Table was taken. (c) Copy and paste the
table into your file. Now delete the examples in each cell and replace them
with your own examples that you make up. (d) Discuss why driving is such a big
problem in all societies and why no effective solutions have yet been found for
them. (e) Discuss the solutions offered by Dr. Leon James (www.DrDriving.org). What likelihood is there that his approach
will be adopted? Explain. (f) Any other comments you wish to make.
|
Driver Competence Skills |
Aggressive NEGATIVE DRIVING |
Supportive POSITIVE DRIVING |
|
Not Emotionally Intelligent (REPTILIAN DRIVING) |
Emotionally Intelligent (CORTICAL DRIVING) |
|
|
Focusing on self vs. blaming others or the situation |
“That guy is such an idiot! The way he drives is driving me crazy!” |
“I
don’t know why, but I am feeling very irritated by the way he is driving.” |
|
Realizing that anger is something we choose vs. thinking it is
provoked |
“I
can’t help it if I get mad when she cuts me off! It’s her fault!” |
“It
really bothers me when I get cut off by someone else and I tend to get really
angry.” |
|
Being concerned about consequences vs. giving in to impulse |
“I
don’t care if he gets mad when I try to get back at him! He deserves it!” |
“I
am the bigger person in this situation so I should just let it go and not let
it bother me.” |
|
Showing respect for others and their rights vs. thinking only of
oneself |
“I
am in such a hurry! These people just
need to get out of my way! Don’t they know I have places to be!” |
“I
know I have no control over the traffic, I just need to wait like everyone
else, they have lives they need to get through too.” |
|
Accepting traffic as collective team work vs. seeing it as
individual competition |
“These
people are so slow, I can get to my destination so much faster if I weave in
and out of traffic, so I am always moving!” |
“If
I try to get somewhere faster by constantly changing lanes, it will slow
everyone else down and I wont get where I need to be all that much faster
anyway, I should just be patient like everyone else. |
|
Recognizing the diversity of drivers and their needs and styles
vs. blaming them for what they choose to do. |
“I
can’t believe he’s trying to shave in the car! How stupid can he be!” |
“Wow,
that’s an interesting way to save time, multitasking in the car can be
dangerous so I should keep my distance.” |
|
Practicing positive role models vs. negative |
“Hurry
up! You’re driving me crazy! Why do you insist on going 15 MPH when you
could easily go 30?!” |
“She
is driving kind of slow but that just gives me more time to enjoy this CD I’m
listening to.” |
|
Learning to inhibit the impulse to criticize by developing a sense
of driving humor |
“This
guy is such an idiot! I wonder where
he learned to drive, or if he ever did learn to drive?!” |
“Hahaha!
That’s an interesting way to drive. I
always thought we were supposed to drive between the lines not straddle
them!” |
|
Taking driving seriously by becoming aware of one’s mistakes and
correcting them |
“I
am the best driver around! There’s no
way anyone should ever be telling me what to do in the car!” |
“I
know there is always room for improvement.
I just need to pay attention to what it is I need to work on.” |
(d) Why is driving such a
big problem in all societies? And why
have no effective solutions been found for these problems yet?
I think that driving is such
a big problem in societies because there is such a diverse way in which people
learn. Not only how they learn but also
where drivers pick their behavior up.
There are so many different things that influence a driver and his or
her behavior. Children are exposed to
many styles of driving from the time they can’t reach the pedals until the time
when they are starting to get behind the wheel themselves. Children are influenced by their parents,
the media; such as movies, TV, and video games and eventually their friends.
Another reason that driving
is such a big problem is because people in general are very emotional and their
emotions can be like a roller coaster ride.
Emotions affect driving behavior in such a big way. Not only that, but driving can affect
emotions as well.
There have been solutions
that have been thought of, however, none have been effective. I think this is because people are very set
in their ways and don’t want to change what they have been doing for the past
however many years.
(e) Discuss the solutions
offered by Dr. Leon James. What
likelihood is there that his approach will be adopted?
Dr. James has offered some
solutions to this problem. A few of his
suggestions are to think positively while driving. This can have an enormous affect on a driver’s attitude and
behavior. If something bad happens
while driving, if you have are thinking in a positive manner, things will go
smoother and you will get through the incident with a lot less stress.
Another suggestion by Dr.
James is to do some self-witnessing exercises.
If you pay more attention to your behavior, thoughts and feelings, you
will see the things that you need to work on.
If you are more aware of these things, it is easier to focus on changing
the negative aspects of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. This can be a huge help. There are many more suggestions by Dr. James
but these I found to be the most helpful.
The likelihood that Dr.
James’ suggestions will be adopted is probably not that high. The only reason I say this is because there
are so many people out there who have never heard of Dr. James and Driving
Psychology. The only reason that I have
learned about it is because of this class, and I know that not many people will
be taking it. If it was better known, I
think people would be more likely to adopt his suggestions.
(a) Our textbook Road Rage and Aggressive Driving has exercises in several chapters. Do the following four exercises: (i) Exercise on scenario analysis on p. 129; (ii) Exercise on self-assessment on p.134; (iii) Exercise on identifying assumptions on p. 131; and (iv) Exercise on negative vs. positive driving on p. 122. (b) What were your reactions to the exercises? (c) Discuss how these exercises help you to become more aware of yourself as a driver. (d) Do some of the exercises with another driver you know. How do they help you understand some principles of driving psychology mentioned in the book? (e) Any other comments you wish to make.
Sub-Section A:
(i)
Exercise on scenario analysis: pg.129
Oppositional Symptom:
Obsessing about slow traffic.
Statements used in
traffic:
“At this rate we’ll never
get there!”
This statement is an
exaggeration. 1) “At this rate” is
objective, 2) “we’ll never get there” is subjective and an exaggeration. Not only is it an exaggeration but also it
is not true because eventually, he will get there, it’s just a matter of
time.
“I feel like I’m going
backward.”
This statement just doesn’t
make any sense unless this person is rolling backwards down a hill.
“Now I’m stuck behind this
slow driver.”
Being stuck may be objective
and it may be true. However, calling
the driver in front of him a slow driver is subjective. It also may not be something that the driver
has control over. The person in front
of him may also be driving slowly and there may just be traffic that no one can
help.
“What a royal waste of time
– I can’t stand this waiting!”
Saying that it is a waste of
time is subjective. Him not being able
to stand it is also subjective. This
person could just relax and not be so uptight about it. Him not being able to stand it is also just
his view on the situation and he is the only one who can control it.
Oppositional
Symptom: Feeling combative with
self-righteous indignation.
Statements used in
traffic:
“This fiend just cut me
off! Gotta give him a piece of my
mind!”
Although the person may have
cut him off, calling him a fiend is just a put down and subjective and
untrue. Thinking that he needs to give
the other driver a piece of his mind is not going to help the situation at
all.
“I don’t deserve to be
pushed around!”
This statement assumes that
someone is pushing him around. That
probably isn’t even the case. If
something happened, it probably wasn’t intentional.
“Nobody messes with me and
gets away with it!”
He doesn’t know if the other
person was intentionally “messing” with him.
He needs to takes a deep breath and relax. Thinking that he needs to do something about the situation is
just putting more stress on him and making him more angry.
Oppositional
Symptom: Feeling obsessively
competitive.
Statements used in
traffic:
“Darn! That guy made it
through the light and I didn’t!”
This person needs to
understand that it’s not the end of the world.
The guy who made it through the light will probably miss a different
light.
“How come that lane is
faster?”
Lanes are always changing
speeds. One minute your lane will be
moving, then the next, it will stop and the lane next you will be moving. It is best to just stay in your lane so you
don’t cause a crash. Weaving in and out
of lanes usually doesn’t get you very far ahead of the game.
“Those pedestrians better
watch out, ‘cause I’m coming through!”
This is definitely bad
driving behavior. Pedestrians have the
right of way and drivers need to respect that.
Oppositional
Symptom: Being overcritical
Statements used in
traffic:
“I can’t stand the way he
slows down and speeds up, slows down and speeds up!”
Sometimes people can’t help
it if they need to slow down. The
reason they are slowing down is because of something ahead of him.
“He can’t pay attention to
the road when he’s babbling on the phone.”
This statement is
subjective, untrue and a put down. He
may be able to pay attention and talk on the phone at the same time. By saying he is babbling is a put down.
Oppositional Symptom: Love of risk taking
Statements used in traffic:
“I like to go fast but I’m
careful.”
“I can make this light if I
speed up.”
“I can squeeze into that
opening if I time it right.”
“I can insult that driver
‘cause I can drive away fast.”
“I feel the need for speed!”
All of these statements
suggest carelessness and risky behavior.
Going fast and being careful contradicts itself. All of these statements are also unnecessary
and dangerous.
Additional Remedies:
(ii)
Exercise on Self Assessment: pg. 134
Step One: Think about
your driving over the past few weeks.
Make a list of your best traits and another list of your worst traits as
a driver.
|
My Best driving Traits According to Myself |
My Worst Driving Traits According to Myself |
|
1. I am courteous to other drivers. |
1. I am easily irritated by other drivers. |
|
2. I obey traffic Sign, Laws, and Authority. |
2. I don’t always pay complete attention to
my driving. |
|
3. My speed is good for the most part. |
3. I make comments about other drivers. |
|
4. I let others in when they need to. |
4. I can be impatient at times. |
|
5. I appreciate others who are supportive
drivers. |
5. I don’t always signal if I don’t think it
is necessary. |
|
6. I am a cautious driver. |
|
|
7. I don’t take unsafe driving risks. |