PSY 409A Driving Psychology, February 3

PSY 409A Driving Psychology, February 3

Outline 2: Neuropsychology

Melanie Marciel

Rothe. J.P., (2002). Driving Lessons. (The University of Alberta Press) Pages 10-19.

Instructions for this activity are found at:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/g24-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

I. Introduction

A. Neuropsychology

B. Screening Systems

C. Improved Screening Systems

D. Fallible Human Behavior

II. Neuropsychology

A. The domain covers the dysfunctions of memory, attention, language

perception, planning, and decision making, personality and social behavior.

B. Clinical neuropsychologist consult in emergency, oncology, and

cardiology.

C. In the past and present, they are used for screening behavior problems amongst servicemen in the military.

III. Screening Systems

A. Neuropsychological examination could answer questions about a

person’s ability to drive.

B. Some places require a general medical and vision examination.

C. Studies show that accident and fatality rates of senior drivers are much higher than that of any other age group.

1. Age-associated illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease and

dementia impair driving ability. (However, not all including

persons in the earlier stages of these disorders).

2. Assessment of driving should include performance-based road

tests that examine cognitive behavior.

3. Study found that older drivers who performed poorly on visual

attention test were 2.2 times more likely to be involved in a car

crash during a 3-year follow up.

D. Young and elderly drivers have a higher risk of being involved in fatal

crashes than middle-aged drivers.

1. Elderly drivers exhibit excess risk factors such as inattention,

improper turning, and collisions at intersections.

2. Young drivers exhibit excess risk factors such as use of

alcohol, drug use, fatigue, falling asleep, and speeding.

IV. Improved Screening System

A. Driver’s personality is a causing factor when it comes to risk factors.

1. There is a positive relationship between sensation-seeking and risky driving.

2. Sensation-seeking individuals have different levels of

norepinephrine and dopamine than do those with a low disposition of sensation-seeking.

B. Examination of visual perception is better than mental batteries.

1. Perceptual problems are likely shown for individuals

following a stroke (difficulties in visual spatial tasks).

2. Patients of stroke may be responsible for “looking without

seeing” which has led to the cause of vehicle crashes.

C. Ophthalmoglogic exams are outdated and need to be replaced by

neuropsychological assessments.

D. Engineers and neuropsychologists need to redesign driving and make it easier for older operators.

V. Fallible Human Behavior

A. Engineers and neuropsychologist need to work together to support

fallible human behaviors.

B. Drowsy driving is a neurobiological need that has caused problems

with driving.

1. Homeostatic mechanisms control circadian factors to regulate

the timing of sleeping and waking.

2. Sleepiness can cause motor-vehicle crashes because it

impairs driving.

3. Sleep apnea and narcolepsy are associated with increased risk

of drowsy driving.

C. Alerting devices such as rumble stripes on the roads have been created

to alert sleepy drivers (40 percent reduction of crashes).

D. Handedness is another problem amongst drivers.

1. 90 percent of people are right-handed

2. Right-handers show greater manual asymmetries than left-handers in several motor and visual-motor tests.

3. Left-handers are twice as likely to have car crashes and nearly four times as likely to die in car crashes than are right-handers.

The Driver with Dementia: A Role for the Neuropsychologist

This website was interesting because it contained research information about drivers with dementia and Alzheimer’s. They go over certain types of cognitive criteria that should be included in examinations for driving. They also mention the use of a computer-administered test called the Usefid Field of View (UFOV) in which they determine the visual area available in a single glance without any head or eye movement for a particular task.

http://www.azdot.gov/TPD/ATRC/publications/research_notes/PDF/559RN.pdf

New, Improved, Comprehensive, and Automated Driver’s License Test and Vision Screening System

This site is from the Arizona transportation research center. It was an eleven year study which included a global survey on effective strategies for screening of visual impairment. What was interesting was that they said environment factors increased collision involvement between ages 50 and 59. They also found that most motor vehicle departments have no automated vision screening systems, acknowledge that their current systems are inadequate and that they should have tests that include screening for Glaucoma or Age-Relate Macular Degeneration (AMD).

http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs/driving.html

Sleep Apnea and Driving

This is an excellent website from the American Sleep Apnea Association. They say that the lack of data for sleepiness is because some jurisdictions don’t include sleepiness as a factor in accident reports. Unlike alcohol tests, there is no test to measure the driver’s sleepiness at the time of the accident. Some states are even placing restrictions on drivers with a sleeping disorder.

My Homepage:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/marciel/marciel-home.htm

G24 Class Home Page:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhomeg24.htm