Report 1
February
27, 2006
My Understanding of Driving Psychology
by Lincoln James Whyte
Instructions for this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/409a-g24-report1.htm
A) Theory and Charts on Driving Psychology
Table 1, Driver Behavior as Skills and Errors in Three Domains:
Table one summarizes examples of skills (given a positive scoring), and errors (given a negative scoring) that occur in each of the different areas of the three fold self, affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor. The three fold self is composed of the aforementioned categories which make up the interacting subgroups of every persons driving habits and behaviors. The “affective self” deals with the feelings and emotions that we experience while driving. The “cognitive self” is our reasoning and thought processes of our driving environment. And the “sensorimotor self” is in control of our bodily and other motor acts, sensations, and perceptions that occur while we are in our vehicles. The use of the positive and negative scores for the different areas of the three fold self are especially useful for becoming aware of your own driving behaviors during self witnessing. Self witnessing is a technique used to help gain awareness of your own habits and behaviors while driving. Once you have done self witnessing you start to see a pattern and it allows you to make changes to the negative, error, aspects of your driving.
Table 1 can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/whyte/Table%201.htm
Table 2, Behavioral Zones of Driving:
Table two is the second table relating to the taxonomy and consists of 18 different zones of driving behavior. The positive and negative scores as seen in table one are again used with the three different dimensions of the three fold self (Affective, Cognitive, Sensorimotor) and are incorporated into the three levels of development, or driver competency (Proficiency, Safety, Responsibility). The first level is proficiency, the second, safety, and the third level is responsibility. Zones 1 through 9 are skills (positive), and zones 10 through 18 are errors (negative). Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl have set the table from the bottom up to represent how habits are formed on top of each other with certain habits not forming until driving experience has accumulated, and also how when habits accumulate they tend to force downward pressure and exert influence on previously formed habits. Level 1 (proficiency) skills and errors are formed in new drivers (and from modeling of parents, actors, and being in the presence of other drivers before they become a driver them self) and are focused on staying relaxed and attentive (affective proficiency), absorbing the information of what is going on around oneself (cognitive proficiency), and coordination of the motor skills to ensure safety (sensorimotor proficiency). Level 2 (safety) involves avoiding trouble and danger through motivation to avoid trouble (affective safety), spotting possible problems (cognitive safety), and being able to safely control the vehicle through their actions (sensorimotor safety). Level 3 (Responsibility) represents the knowledge that one is accountable for their actions behind the wheel (affective responsibility), from this idea of responsibility drivers can either choose to go in a positive or negative route, that is developing prosocial or antisocial thoughts and plans (cognitive responsibility), and these then determine whether they will have a positive or a negative style and quality of driving (sensorimotor responsibility). Table 2 also includes examples of the positive and negative skills and errors relating to the affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor sectors of the three levels of driver competencies, proficiency, and safety. This table is a collection of a driver’s possible skills and errors and can be useful in developing self-modification project. The next table to be discussed below goes into depth of how to possibly construct such a self-modification program.
Table 2 can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/whyte/Table%202.htm
Table 3, Two Stages of a Driving Personality Makeover Plan:
Table 3 is an example of the two different stages of a driving personality makeover plan. A driving personality makeover plan is used to help you recognize and correct your driving errors by self monitoring and planning of improvements. In this example the driver is trying to avoid being an aggressive driver (stage one), and is also trying to become a supportive driver (the opposite of an aggressive driver, stage two). In stage one the driver lists self tips to help himself avoid being an aggressive driver. These self tips are made for each of the three categories in the three fold self. For the Affective Level he chose tips to help himself overcome resistance to change. For the Cognitive level he chose to rationally analyze traffic incidents. And for the Sensorimotor Level he chose things that would help him act out civil behaviors. Stage 2 consists of maintaining a supportive orientation towards other drivers (Affective Level), analyzing driving situations objectively (cognitive Level), and behaving in a cooperative style (Sensorimotor Level).
Table 3 can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/whyte/Table%203.htm
Table 4, The AWM Approach in Driver Self-Modification:
Because our driving behaviors are influenced by so many sources, many of which are bad, and because as time goes on we may develop bad habits, it is important to actively try to improve your driving skills. The AWM or “the Three Step Program” is designed to help drivers improve their skills through self modification. The three steps are:
Step 1) Acknowledging that you have a negative driving habit (A)
Step 2) Witnessing yourself performing the negative habit (W)
Step 3) Changing the habit (M)
Each time the driver enters the car he performs the three steps for only one negative behavior per trip. After many trips and active attempts to change his negative behavior the behavior will eventually subside. It is easy to see that to rid yourself of all of your negative driving behaviors this must be set up as a long term goal. Because people have a tendency to not believe others when being told of their negative attributes the drivers self recognition is crucial in aiding in his improvement. Only after one can see his own problems will he believe others comments. The road to self improved driving is a lifelong task and the driver must constantly be following the steps to ensure that he is the best driver that he can be. The Three Step Program and many other techniques such as self witnessing and self modification, the keeping of a driving log, and quality driving circles are a few great ways to improve your driving habits.
Table 4 can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/whyte/Table%204.htm
Above tables and others can be found at: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/409a-g24-lecture-notes.htm#Charts
Above Tables originate from: www.drdriving.org/articles/taxonomy.htm
B) Some of the Main Principles of Driving Psychology
Three Fold Self
If there is one thing that you take away from this report the concept of the three fold self is the thing to remember. Up until recently the majority of data on driving statistics, police accident reports, and driver education have only focused on the sensorimotor activities. But the major principle behind driving psychology is that the driving experience is controlled by the affective self, cognitive self, as well as the sensorimotor self. Together these three areas have been termed the three fold self. As you have seen in the summaries of the above tables each of the three domains have both + and – categories to represent skills and errors, respectively, in each domain.
Affective Self. When you are driving it is the affective self that is the operator of your feelings and motivations. If you catch your self thinking about the way that you or someone else is driving (whether it be good or bad thoughts) that is your affective self working.
Cognitive Self. When you are driving it is the cognitive self that is the operator of your thinking and reasoning. When you start to interpret what is going on around you on the road and plan to adjust your actions to better suit the conditions that is your cognitive self in action.
Sensorimotor Self. When you are driving it is the sensorimotor self that is the operator of your motor skills, perceptions, and sensations. The sensorimotor self is the easiest for most to understand and comprehend. That is why it is overly represented in accident reports and driver education. The sensorimotor self can be seen by the way you yell in response to someone cutting you off, the way that you swerved out of the way so they didn’t hit you, and the way you slammed on the horn and sped after them to let them now your anger towards them.
Self Witnessing
Self witnessing is becoming aware of your driving behaviors both positive and negative. By putting in a conscious effort to analyze your own behavior you become aware of habits that you were once never aware of. In order to be able to change a negative habit into a positive driving attribute you must first be able to recognize your errors. Much of the research in the area of driving psychology is carried out by self witnessing. One basic way to self witness your driving behaviors is to simply speak out loud to yourself, or to a tape recorder, about what you are doing, what you are thinking while you are doing it, and what thoughts are going through your head at the time. Another good way to help realize your driving habits is to create a driving log and record your thoughts, emotions, and actions that take place during different stages in your driving trip. The self witnessing technique is very useful because, as before-mentioned, most driving knowledge is based only on the sensorimotor domain. It is easy to witness someone slamming on their brakes, or swerving out of the way, but it is only possible to know what their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are at the time. Thus, self witnessing brings the affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor domains together.
Driving Norms
A very important principle in driving psychology is that not only does one need to decrease negative driving norms, but they also have to replace them with positive driving norms. This goes for norms that fall into all three domains of the three fold self. This is part of the theme in Table 4 with driver self modification.
Lifelong Driver Education
The advances in health and technologies that are helping people live longer are also creating a longer period in ones life in which they are drivers. If the only time one is trained and tested on their driving skills is when they are 15 or 16 years old is not hard to see that by the time they reach their 40’s or 50’s much of their driving knowledge has been lost. And of what they have retained may not be what they were really taught; only what they think they were taught. Also many aspects of driving change and evolve over time. The longer one spends driving, the more time they have to develop negative driving habits that go unnoticed to them. So many things throughout our lives help instill negative driving habits in us, such as watching television and movies, the media, video games, friends and family, and even riding in a car with others (such as your parents). It is because of reasons like this, and the increasing risk of loss to human life associated with driving, that it is important for drivers to maintain their driving skills at an efficient level throughout their lifetimes. The use of a quality driving circle, QDC, is a great way to keep up good habits, and sharpen skills. Because many people are reluctant to change on their own, QDC’s are also a great socio- cultural way to create change in ones negative driving behaviors.
C) 3 Domains of Driving Behavior
As I have already introduced the concept of the three fold self earlier in the previous sections of the various tables and the main principles of driving psychology I will only give a brief definition of the three domains of driving behavior followed by a few examples of my own skills and errors in each category to further help illustrate the very important idea of how every act in driving, and in all other aspects of life, are affected by all three domains simultaneously.
1. Affective: As you may recall the affective self is your system which operates your feelings and motivations while you take part in the many different aspects of everyday life, in this case, driving.
An example of my affective skills- I always try to use my turning signals so that other drivers know what I am going to do.
An example of my affective errors- When there are no other cars around, such as late at night, I sometimes do not use my turning signals.
2. Cognitive: The cognitive self is the operating mechanism of your thinking and reasoning.
An example of my cognitive skills- If I am driving in the left lane on the freeway and I see someone coming up on me from behind I change lanes so that they can pass.
An example of my cognitive errors- If I do not notice the person until they are already behind me, and they begin to tailgate me to get me out of their way, I will not change lanes for them because I do not think they deserve to get around me if they are tailgating me.
3. Sensorimotor: The sensorimotor self is the operating system of your perceptions and motor actions as well the sensations your body undergoes.
An example of my sensorimotor skills- If someone lets me in in front of them, such as when changing lanes or entering the roadway from my driveway, I always make sure I wave to show my acknowledgement for what they did and so that they do not think I am ungrateful.
An example of my sensorimotor errors- Yelling, sometimes I yell or make a comment about other drivers if they do something that angers me. Some of the things that anger me are people running red lights, people behind me who honk at me for not running a red light, people who do not make a right turn on a red light when it is safely possible to do so, people who do not recognize that the light has turned green and do not move, especially in left turn lanes with short lights.
D) Past Reports on Driving Personality Makeovers
Summary of past report 1: Cynthia Yao took a little bit of a different approach for this driving personality makeover. She wanted to become more of an aggressive driver. She chose this plan because she wanted the experience of a driver who is not taken advantage of and to try to decrease her travel time. Cynthia hypothesized that by increasing her speed other drivers would not be mad at her for driving slow (the actual speed limit) and by becoming aware of other drivers wants and desires she would make them happier by not getting in their way. Cynthia had a passenger ride in her car with her and write down the thoughts and feelings that she would verbalize. Cynthia implemented a few changes to her driving behavior to increase the aggressiveness. When changing lanes she would enter lanes with smaller gaps between cars instead of waiting for large gaps. This made her feel unsafe and thought that others would get mad at her. When she tried to keep up with the flow of traffic by speeding she became afraid of receiving a speeding ticket and uneasy about the increased risk of an accident. The other change in Cynthia’s behavior was to tailgate but she did not notice much change in other drivers behaviors when she attempted to tailgate them accept for the occasional driver who would switch lanes. As a result of her experiment she decided that she would stick to being a safe and courteous driver because the increase in her driving aggressiveness led to an increase in anxiety and a build up of tension. She stated her aggressive driving was unpleasant and that it did not reduce her travel time by a significant amount. She concluded her driving personality makeover with her realization that being an aggressive driver is not worthwhile.
Past report 1 can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/student2/p38/psy459/report2.html
Summary of past report 2: In this self driving personality makeover experiment Jayson Nakasone is trying to modify the way he reacts to drivers who try to cut the front of a long line of cars waiting in the line up for a freeway on ramp. When this happens to Jayson he reacts by swearing and moving his car up to the rear of the one in front of him as to not leave room for the car to cut in front of him. To try to change the way he reacted to situation like this he decided to run several trials with a passenger in his car, when he was waiting in freeway on ramps, and a car tried to cut in, his passenger would remind him to let the car in and state a possibly valid reason to let the car in. After Jayson became more comfortable with letting cars cut in front of him he decided to try and handle the situation on his own. He had his passenger move to the backseat and not to mention anything of the cars cutting in. At first he had trouble with letting them in, but then he created a scenario in his head where he would tell himself that the driver in the car that was trying to cut in was in a hurry to get home to their sick child. This seemed to work for him. One thing Jayson noticed about his behavior modification is that his sick child scenario did not work if more than five cars cut in front of him in a single day. To correct for this he came up with further changes to his reactions. The result of the experiment helped Jayson decrease his anger levels and overall made him a happier person.
Past report 2 can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/459s99/nakasone/report1.html
E) My Driving Personality Makeover
My negative thoughts towards other road users:
As mentioned before in the section on the three domains of driving behavior I exhibit many behavioral errors in all three zones. For my driving personality makeover I am going to focus on my sensorimotor error of yelling at other drivers (windows up) and making judgmental comments about them for doing things that I find aggravating. I am angered by another driver if he or she runs a red light, honks at me (from behind) for not running a red light, does not make a right turn on a red light when it is safe to make the turn, does not recognize that the light has turned green and they don’t go (especially in left turn lanes), and some other things as well.
Plan of action to change my negative driving behaviors:
To try to correct my before mentioned negative sensorimotor driving behavior I plan on conducting a mini experiment during the next couple of weeks to help me learn how to accept the errors and mistakes of other drivers and to not overreact. My plan is to inform my passengers to watch out for any verbal comments and suggestions that I make towards other drivers and to record in a log book the incident that occurred which angered me and my response to it. After a few days I plan on going over the log book and looking for any common occurrences and my response to them and come up with a way to change my negative behaviors into positive ones.
Results:
After the first week of having my passengers record my negative sensorimotor behaviors I went over the long book and to no surprise found that the most common incident that provoked a verbal comment by me was drivers not paying attention to the changing of the light when stopped at a red light. In order to correct this I decided to have my passengers, as well as myself, remind me to be patient and to not get mad. In order to rationalize the situation I would imagine how I would want other drivers to react if it was I who did not notice the light change. I wouldn’t like it if people honked or yelled at me, even if I couldn’t here them. So I decided to try to picture myself in their car when someone wasn’t paying attention to the color of the light. This seemed to work wonderfully and I noticed that after a few people missed lights, and I pictured myself in their situation, I no longer found myself getting angry and yelling.
Evaluation and discussion:
I feel pretty good with the results of my driving personality makeover. I have become more patient with drivers who do not notice when the light has changed, and also with other aspects of my driving. I think this is very good for me because I tend to get stressed out over very minor things, which is not good for my health. Relieving stress even by a small amount will improve my wellbeing and over time will prove to be even more beneficial. At first thought of this makeover I didn’t think that it would be as affective as it turned out to be. Now that I know that it isn’t all that hard to change your negative driving behaviors I plan on creating more driving personality makeovers for other errors that I have such as in the cognitive and affective zones. The benefits of a driving personality makeover are worth the effort of keeping a driving log and having your passengers help you out and I highly recommend for others to try to create a makeover plan for themselves.
F) Advice for Future Generations
By studying driving psychology it has made me become more aware of what I am doing while driving, or being around cars in general such as a passenger or as a pedestrian. It has helped me to become a better driver by being able to look at things from other driver’s perspectives as well as my own. The knowledge I have obtained from this class has, I believe, made me a safer, more courteous, and a more cautious driver. Here are a few tips that can be useful to the future generations who take Dr. James’ classes.
1) Follow The Instructions Carefully And Fully!
2) Start assignments as soon as they are assigned (i.e. No procrastination).
3) Get help right away if you have problems with your website or with the uploading.
4) Read all of the assigned readings. This makes writing your reports and outlines much easier because you have a broader knowledge of the subject f driving psychology as a whole.
My Home Page: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/whyte/home.htm
G24 Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm