Psy 409a: Driving Psychology

January 30, 2006

Neuro-Behavioral Variables and Traffic Safety

By Ruo Xie

 

Rothe. J.P., Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer, The University of Alberta Press, 2002, pp 10-19. 

 

Instructions for this activity are found at:

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

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

 

       I.      The Importance of Neuropsychology and Higher Brain Function

a.    Neuropsychology encompasses the most cutting-edge and intricate aspects of cognition and behavior.

                                                             i.      Functions included in the field of neuropsychology are memory, attention, language, perception, planning and decision-making, personality and social behavior.

                                                           ii.      The main focus of neuropsychology is on the disorders of the mentioned functions.

b.    Functional neuroimaging clarified the relationship between brain activity and behavior in normal subjects.

                                                             i.      Neuropsychological data provide sensitive information of brain efficiency.

c.    Driving demands attention, visuo-spatial abilities and information processing making it a complex cognitive task.

 

     II.      Neuropsychology and Screening Systems

a.    Primary objective of driver selection by medical and psychological tests is to protect people from risks created by dangerous drivers.

                                                             i.      Good health is a prerequisite for someone to be considered to have good driving ability.

                                                           ii.      Medical intervention cannot be imposed on people if its usefulness has not been clearly demonstrated.

                                                        iii.      Neuropsyhological research has helped to define testing methods.

                                                        iv.      Age-associated illnesses that affect cognition are expected to impair driving ability.

 

  III.      An Improved Screening System

a.    With the risk factors associated with young drivers in mind, a highly appropriate subject is the extent to which the driver’s personality is an underlying causal factor.

                                                             i.      We must look at the phenomenon of sensation-seeking.

                                                           ii.      This usually means looking at “the need for varied, novel, and complex sensations and experiences and the willingness to take physical and social risk for the sake of such experiences.”

b.    Another important interest should fall into the assessments of patients who want to return to driving after suffering an acute disease (e.g. stroke patients).

                                                             i.      Performance on driving assessments determines whether or not they are advised to drive.

                                                           ii.      Because advice may be based on subjective criteria, simple and easily administered cognitive tests may be useful.

c.    The analysis of the relationship between the brain and driving has provided scientific support for the use neuropsychological tests in driver assessment.

                                                             i.      The ophthalmological exam must be replaced by neuropsychological assessments of visual attention and perception.

 

 IV.      Supporting Fallible Human Behavior

a.    Neuropsychologists and engineers must work together to facilitate the driving task and find ways to support fallible human behavior.

                                                             i.      This includes:

1.    Drowsy driving and alerting devices

2.    Handedness: Unequal  skills in our hands (most people are right handed)

 

    V.      Social and Cultural Experiences

a.    In order to test performance, the evaluation of neuropsychological data must take into account the contribution of social and cultural experiences and attitudes.

 

Related Links:

http://www.dsa.gov.uk/

This is the website of the Driving Standards Agency of the United Kingdom. They’re goal is to promote safe driving. The DSA also tries to keep people posted on what is happening with the laws and guidelines that help ensure safe driving. I thought this site would be interesting because it would give people an idea on what driving is like in other countries.

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/exam.htm

I thought providing this link would give people an example on how easy it is to obtain a learners permit that will allow you to drive with a licensed driver. This could help people understand why we need a more neuropsychological approach to driving tests so that our roads can be safer.

http://www.apa.org/releases/alzheimersdriver.html

This is an excellent article on the search for a screening method to decide when early Alzheimer’s  patients should stop driving.

 

My home page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/xie/xie-home.htm  

Class home page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm