My Selection Number One: The Traffic Psychology Resources Page
Why I Chose This Page:
I chose this page for two reasons: 1) I admired the organization of the page's contents, and 2) I like the use of the black background and white text.
Organization is important because it allows the visitor to orient himself, acting as a sort of "map" for those unfamiliar to a page or site. Imagine a web page as a foreign land, and the organization method as a tour guide. Without a tour guide, a visitor has no idea what to look for, what to expect, or what kinds of useful things are out there. The organization of the topics of this page was great; I knew what topic to expect to be covered at every link. There was no guessing.
The color of the background sets the whole mood for the page or site.It influences the nature of every other element of the page: the text color, the links' colors (both visited and unvisited links), the kinds of graphics that can be used. These colors and combination of colors greatly affects the reaction of visitors to your site. Pink, orange, and yellow might be your favorite colors, but putting up a page with a pink background and orange and yellow links might be enough to repulse nine out of ten visitors to your page. While black is a pretty daring color, the other elements of the page (white text, yellow links color) perfectly complemented it, and made the page easier to look at.
How I got to this page:
My starting point for all these reports was the Prior Generations Listing Index, which I accessed via Dr. James's home page. Here I found an index of every other generations' reports. A click on one of the links led to another index, this one of the names of every student of that particular generation. Each student's name was a link as well, leading to their Psychology 409 home pages.
On each student's home page were links to their reports, to Dr. James's home page, and an email link. This page was located in the Generation 3 index, and as I said before, it caught my eye because of the good organization and good use of color.
Other pages I simply didn't care for. Some had bad background color choices- one was a nasty turquoise color, I think, that blinded me with its brightness and contrast with the text. Some had text that was too small or too large. Others had huge chunks of text that I would glance at and not even feel like reading because it looked like a wall of words. Still others had overwhelming graphics, or too many graphics. I spent less than a minute on those that didn't immediately appeal to me.
Full Report and Contents Description:
As it describes itself, the Traffic Psychology Resources Page is the page for "drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and professionals such as police and transport officials. Its purpose is to help people acquire traffic psychology knowledge and skills."
Traffic psychology can be summed up as the psychological processes of drivers, passengers, and any other person involved in some aspect of driving or traffic. Basically, it's the study of maniac drivers, backseat drivers, suicidal jaywalkers, rubberneckers, speed freaks, slowpokes, and suicidal jaywalkers. =)
Whatever category you may belong to, there are links leading to pages where people who share your problem discuss their driving habits. They talk about, for example, their impatience with other drivers, and describe instances when their impatience caused them to get into trouble.
The categories are divided into two main sections: Driver Support Groups and Passenger Support Groups. Under the Driver Support Groups are topics such as "I Can't Stop Driving Over the Speed Limit" and "I Can't Stop Changing Lanes Impulsively." For passengers, there are topics such as "I Feel Abused by the Driver" and "I Like to Encourage the Driver to Take Risks."
Other sections include Community Support and Traffic Psychology on the Internet. The Traffic Psychology on the Internet section leads to one newsgroup and other sites where traffic psychology is discussed.
Students who wish to add their own experiences and input to a topic can do so easily. All one has to do is click on one of the databases' links and then he or she can contribute. The only rules are that no anonymous contributions are allowed, and the observance of the Traffic Psychology Resources credo: "As a depositor I shall contribute only what is mine, and only what is true."
Other links on the page led to Generations One and Two's areas, Dr. James's home page, a Quotable Quotes section where some Generation 3 students left some of their thoughts behind, and a message to the next generation.
Reaction to the Traffic Psychology Resources Report:
Overall, I liked this page a lot. The purpose of the page was clearly stated, and again, the organization was superb. The page was easy to read, and the colors weren't too obnoxious. Best of all, there weren't any distracting graphics to divert my attention from the text.
The organization was simple: following the main heading was the a short paragraph describing who the page was for and what its purpose was. Then the process by which a person could contribute to the database was explained.The next sections were the two topic divisions: Driver Support Groups and Passenger Support Groups. Each contained a phrase explaining what topic was addressed(i.e. "I Don't Care About My Passengers' Feelings"). These were followed by the Community Support and Traffic Psychology on the Internet links, and then links to Dr. James's home page, and the other links described before.
I'm not sure I could have done as good a job as this web page author. I have very little experience in web page creation, and I'm not a very organized person to begin with. But I do have the interest, especially, as you may have guessed, in the effect of color and graphics on the viewer. I think all I need is some experience.
There were, however, some things I didn't like about this page. I wish the web author had used a larger point size for the text. Small white text is a little hard to read, especially on black, where the white can appear to bleed into the darker background. Also, some of the headings were a little too big (almost as big as the main heading at the top of the page) and cumbersome to read. There was also some underlined text; I prefer italicized text to underlining to add emphasis to a sentence, since underlined text can easily be mistaken for a link. Little things, sure, but they can make a difference between liking a page and enjoying a page.
Comparison With Other Reports:
Compared with other reports in other generations, this report was eye-catching to me for reasons already stated- it was well-organized and aesthetically appealing. None of the others in its generation impressed me like this one did.
I suppose the differences between the reports of same-generation students can be explained by the fact that not every student has the same level of experience with computers. Just because my friends know HTML and are familiar with the web-page creation process, it doesn't mean I am. Also, the Web, HTML, and personal home pages weren't as big as they are now. If anything, all the students in Generation 3 had in common was the interest in learning how to make web pages.
I could not make any comparisons with my generation's web pages, as too few were posted at the time this page was being constructed.
Suggestions for Future Generations:
1. Don't use backgrounds that have bright colors. Try to use neutral colors like white, off-white, and gray, or something pale.
2. Use text colors that complement your background color. Don't use colors that clash with each other. Some classic examples of colors that fight each other are purple on green, red on yellow, and pink on orange.
3. If you have to squint to see your page clearly, chances are your visitors will have to do that too. Change the colors or text size or whatever you have to so that you can look at your page without getting a migraine.
4. Don't use graphics that are too big or distract your attention from the text on the page (unless, of course, the graphic IS what you want the visitor to concentrate on). Try not to use too many graphics on one page. And if you have a textured or outstanding background, try to use as few graphics as possible. Too much to look at isn't a good thing.
5. Organize your page so that visitors have a clear idea what the main sections of your page are, what links your page contains, and where each link will take them. Not everyone has the time to leisurely surf through and explore every link and wait for your pages to download.
My Selection Number Two: Cyberspace and Mind
Why I Chose This Page:
I chose this page because I thought it was an excellent example of the ideal balance between graphics and text. Most people either overdo or underdo graphics. I also liked the organization of the page and the first-person narrations in some segments of Report 2.
How I Got To This Page:
My starting point for all these reports was the Prior Generations Listing Index, which I accessed via Dr. James's home page. Here I found an index of every other generations' reports. A click on one of the links led to another index, this one of the names of every student of that particular generation. Each student's name was a link as well, leading to their Psychology 409 home pages.
On each student's home page were links to their reports, to Dr. James's home page, and an email link. This page was located in the Generation 5 index.
I chose this page because it was easy to look at. There was a lot of empty white space, which might be boring to some people, but I personally find it preferable to loud, hyperactive graphics. There were only two main links: one to Report One and one to Report Two. Overall, it was a clean, simple page.
Full Report and Contents Description:
The very first lines of text on this page are a verbatim transcript of the Fall 1997 course syllabus. This outlines the purpose of the class rather than the purpose of the report, but serves to explain the general idea of why the reports were written and from what point of view they were written.
A large graphic of human brains and three links follow. Two of the links lead to the same thing: Report One. The other link led to Report Two. Why there are two links to Report One and only one link to Report Two is unclear; perhaps Report One is the centerpiece of the page. The second link to Report One is slightly different in that it has a brief description of what the report is about.
At the bottom of the page were links to Dr. James's home page, the web author's home pages, and an email link.
Report One is about Dr. Driving. Here the web author discusses his reactions to Dr. Driving's book and web page. He talks about the topics that Dr. Driving talked about (such as driving personalities) and supplements them with examples from his own driving experiences. It also contains links to some sites that he (the web author) likes and are related to various aspects of driving. Some of the most useful links including a database of license plates of cars that have been seen driving recklessly.
Report Two is about QDCs. QDC stands for Quality Driving Circles. What exactly a QDC does was not really explained, but I gleaned that a QDC is a group of people aimed at improving their driving habits via self-monitoring and other methods. Here are testimonials from students from prior generations. Some have experience driving in other states and compare it with driving here in Hawaii. Others talk about the way people deal with driving stresses (yelling obscenities), the idea of "personal space" in driving, driving as a "group activity", speeding, behaviors and mood, and distractions.
He also describes assembling a QDC and provides a description of how their first few sessions went. During the three sessions that were described, the three participants were asked questions about the nature of the environment inside and outside their cars. Did they listen to music? Did they eat and drink, or smoke? Did they allow enough time to get to their destinations? What was the weather outside the car like? How did they perceive the driving habits of other? They were also given advice on how to handle difficult situations. At the end of the last sessions, all the drivers had in some way improved their driving skills.
Reaction to the Cyberspace and Mind Report:
The first thing I noticed about this report was the use of graphics. It's not every day that you find a page that uses graphics well, and while this isn't graphically the best page I've ever seen, it's one of the better ones on this server.
I also liked the tone of the report. It was easy to read, and easy to follow.
I would have preferred to see some graphics used in the reports, perhaps to break up the large blocks of text.
Comparison With Other Reports:
This report was fairly similar to the others in its generation. Like most pages, it used black text on a white background. In terms of content, however, this page contained more opinion than other pages, and had a longer list of related links at the end.
I could not make any comparisons with my generation's web pages, as too few were posted at the time this page was being constructed.
Suggestions for Future Generations:
1. Place your graphics carefully on your page. Don't cramp them all together in one corner.
2. Keep the number of graphics to a minimum.
My Selection Number Three: The Affective, Cognitive, and Sensorimotor Domains at Work
Why I Chose This Page:
I chose this report because the topic sounded interesting to me. In recalled in class the discussions about affective computing, and from other psychology classes, lectures about the cognitive and sensorimotor domains. I found it interesting that those lessons could be combined with driving. I guess the juxtaposition never occurred to me before.
How I got to this page:
My starting point for all these reports was the Prior Generations Listing Index, which I accessed via Dr. James's home page. Here I found an index of every other generations' reports. A click on one of the links led to another index, this one of the names of every student of that particular generation. Each student's name was a link as well, leading to their Psychology 409 home pages.
On each student's home page were links to their reports, to Dr. James's home page, and an email link. This report was found in the Generation 4 index.
This also was the first report I chose from this particular index. I liked it immediately, and I knew right away that I had found one of my four reports. I didn't even bother looking for another report from this generation.
Full Report and Contents Description:
This report explains the three domains (affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor) by providing examples of driving incidents and how these domains influenced the outcome of these incidents.
The affective domain is the domain of feelings and motives. Statements such as "I feel happy" and "I like driving" are from the affective psychological domain.
The cognitive domain is the domain of thoughts and judgments. Statements such as "I'm the best driver" and "No one's a better driver than me" are from the cognitive psychological domain.
The sensorimotor domain is the domain of sensory input and motor input. These are easiest thought of as actions, such as stepping on the brake or giving someone "the finger" .
In the example of how these three domains come together in one driving experience, a car cut in front of a driver, forcing that driver to slam on his brakes. The first domain to activate was the cognitive domain, which signaled to the driver that there was a dangerous situation. Slamming on the brakes was the driver's sensorimotor response. The sudden braking startled the passengers, causing the driver to form negative thoughts and feelings toward the other driver. These negative thoughts and feelings were part of the affective psychological domain.
The second and final section of the report describes driving in convoys. "Convoys" is how the driver described the way cars sometimes wind up driving all the same speed and in the same lanes while on the highway. These convoys only break up when offramps and onramps interrupt them. Meanwhile, in the convoy, is a dynamic of group thought that sets the driving pattern for all the drivers. This can be hazardous when one driver doesn't want to drive like everyone else is.
Also on this page are links to eight other of the web author's reports and an email link.
Reaction to the Cyberspace and Mind Report:
The only thing I didn't like about this whole report was that I felt that it was too short. I would have enjoyed some more research about some of the concepts that were discussed, such as convoys. Personal examples help a great deal, but supplementary information helps you understand the subject better.
On the other hand, I did like the personal examples. They make it seem as though the experience happened to someone you know, rather than to a complete stranger.
I also liked that the page concentrated on a limited number of topics instead of loosely incorporating several unrelated topics. This made the page simple, easy to read and understand.
Comparison With Other Reports:
This report the easiest to understand of all the reports i read. The topic was interesting, and it kept within the boundaries of the subject matter. Some reports tie a handful of barely related ideas together in a report; this one concentrated on a main idea.
The report was also noticeably shorter than a lot of the other reports. This is due to the sharpened focus of the report.
I could not make any comparisons with my generation's web pages, as too few were posted at the time this page was being constructed.
Suggestions for Future Generations:
1. The reports should be as simple as possible. Concentrate on only a few topics at a time.
My Selection Number Four: Being a Driving Buddy: What It's Like
Why I Chose This Page:
I chose this report because I thought it was the most informative of all. The idea of a Driving Buddy also sounded interesting.After reading it the first time through, I also thought it was the most straightforward and the most well-written.
How I got to this page:
My starting point for all these reports was the Prior Generations Listing Index, which I accessed via Dr. James's home page. Here I found an index of every other generations' reports. A click on one of the links led to another index, this one of the names of every student of that particular generation. Each student's name was a link as well, leading to their Psychology 409 home pages.
On each student's home page were links to their reports, to Dr. James's home page, and an email link. This report was found in the Generation 6 index.
This time around, I just clicked randomly through the names in the index. Before, there hadn't been any system to the way I'd gone through the links, but this time, I went out of my way to get something random. I even closed my eyes, and, after moving my mouse a bit, I clicked on a link. This was the first report I chose in this manner. To my surprise, I liked it enough to use it as one of my four.
Full Report and Contents Description:
This report talks about traffic and drivers. the first section talks about the societal costs of automobile crashes. Statistics, such as the number of crashes per year and the number of people killed, are provided. Next, a section discusses aggressive drivers. Aggressive drivers, according to the report, are the result of the world around them. If people are in frustrating situations in their lives, they will develop driving habits that reflect that frustration. Fortunately, though, says the report, people can learn to control their aggression.
One way aggression can be controlled is by use of a Driving Buddy. Driving Buddies are discussed in the next section of this report. Driving Buddies are passengers who observe and critique a driver's driving skills. This section also provides a link to Dr. Driving's own research on the concept.
The next section is about how driving habits can be changed. This can be done by restructuring the affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor psychological domain processes.
The final section is the case study of Larry Bruno, who underwent the Driving Buddy treatment for a period of two days. On the first day, his Buddy observed his driving habits. His bad habits included failing to come to complete stops at stop signs, tailgating, and getting angry quickly.
On day two, the Buddy made some suggestions as to how he could improve his driving. He told Bruno to allow some space between the car in front of him and his own car, and to slow down. By the end of the treatment, Bruno had changed enough of his bad habits that he was a much happier driver.
Prior to treatment, Bruno had fit the mold of the Passive-Aggressive driver. The Passive-Aggressive Driver is fine until something or someone else makes him angry and brings out his aggressive tendencies.
Reaction to the Driving Buddy Report:
I liked this report the most out of all the reports I read. The subject was interesting, and the writing style was good. While reading some of the others, I noticed that sometimes my attention would wander, and that other things would distract me easily. With this report I had no such problem.
I especially liked the descriptions of the sessions with the Driving Buddy. I admit, though, that I would have liked it if that section had elaborated more on Bruno's problems, and maybe included some more input from Bruno himself.
This report, like the first, was well-organized. The sections were short but focused. I appreciated that.
I think this report could have used some graphics. It didn't really need them, but text-only pages can get boring after a while.
Comparison With Other Reports:
This report was different from others in that it was well-written. The description of the Driving Buddy section was clear and kept my attention. This just means that whoever did this page was a good writer, nothing more. No amount of graphics and design can substitute for good writing.
Like other reports, though, the page could have used more graphics.
I could not make any comparisons with my generation's web pages, as too few were posted at the time this page was being constructed.
Suggestions for Future Generations:
1. Use a spelling checker and a grammar checker before you upload your page.
2. Reread your text several times even if you've run the spell and grammar check. Have someone else proofread it if you have to.
3. After you've uploaded the page, check it again, and make any necessary changes.
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