What is Traffic Psychology? Definitions!!!
1.
Directions for Report
2.Five definitions of Traffic Psychology
4.My experiences and Traffic Psychology
2.Five definitions of Traffic Psychology
First of all I wanted a clear definition of the two words separately.
Traffic: The movement or number of automobiles, pedestrians, etc., moving along a street, etc.
Psychology: 1.The science dealing with the mind and with mental and emotional processes. 2. The science of human behavior.
From my knowledge I would define the two words together as. The scientific study of the cognitive, emotional, and physical behaviors of humans as they participate in the interaction of vehicles on roadways.
The definition of traffic and psychology together don?t exactly make up Traffic Psychology. My definition isn?t flawless also. I will explore further and find out what others define Traffic Psychology as. We will see if I change my definition after this report is done. Here are students with some of there definitions.
Chris Murakami
In generation six, student
Chris Murakami defines Traffic Psychology as "the study of traffic and the effect it has on the driving behavior of all road users". He also states that traffic psychology in effect enlightens us, allows us to retrain individuals and ourselves by changing our thoughts. It also allows us to ponder the consequences of our actions before we react.
Raenee Yamashiro
One student from
Raenee Yamashiro Dr. James' 459 class in 1996 gives her definition of what traffic psychology is not and what it is. She defines traffic psychology as not being the thoughts and behaviors of automobiles, and the cognition of buses and recreation vehicles. She states however that "Traffic Psychology is an in the discipline of psychology, having had its start only in the early 1980's under the direction of Dr.James and his students". She has a number of definitions from other students here also.
Lisa Among
In generation six I found a five-part definition of traffic psychology.
Lisa Among cited Traffic psychology as being. 1. Learning what the problems are and how to correct them. 2. A different way of looking at Traffic. 3. A way to be aware of what is going on while driving. 4. A way to improve driving: Acknowledge, Witness, and Modify. 5 A way to better your life.In the first part of her definition she talks about how psychology in the aspects of traffic can help you to realize problems about driving. The second part deals with how psychology in traffic is a way of looking at traffic in different ways. The third is that traffic psychology is being more aware cognitively of what is going on around you on the road.
The fourth is that it can be a way of working to improve your driving through acknowledging, Witnessing, and modifying your driving. Last, traffic psychology in effect is a leads you to better your life from doing all above-mentioned things.
Jae Isa
Student
Jae Isa doesn't directly define Traffic Psychology but rather states what he feels is its two main purposes. "First it is aimed at decreasing he amount of auto accidents and traffic fatalities. The second propose is to improve the American character.
Cherilyn Okazaki
Cherilyn Okazaki feels that Traffic Psychology involves a realization of negative actions while driving and an attempt to change them. She states that you must study the actions as a whole including the cognitive, affective, and sensorimotor parts.
3.My reactions to definitions
I found the report by
Raenee Yamashiro to be quite amusing at first. She states that (Duh) no Traffic Psychology is not the thoughts and behaviors of automobiles, and the cognition of buses and recreation vehicles. I found this to be humorous and true. I can picture some uneducated fool ask a dumb question like that. She states although that Traffic Psychology is a discipline of Psychology. I agree. Most disciplines are structured and are meant to make one self analyze themselves. Traffic Psychology is aimed at finding results to questions of why we get into accidents and how we can prevent them if they are linked to emotional, cognitive, or sensorimotor mistakes that we can manipulate.Following Miss
Lisa Amongs? multiple definition of Traffic I found some different perspectives. She states that it a different way of looking at traffic. I agree, to really study traffic you need to take away your prejudices and false beliefs and look at things from different angles. For example from other peoples perspectives. I feel that this is one of the most important aspects. Without this you can never really self-witness yourself and how you behave negatively while driving.
What
Jae Isa has said is very true that one of the main purposes of Traffic Psychology is to decrease the amount of auto accidents. I feel that this is the reason that this field is important. The second purpose he states is to improve the American character. I don?t quite understand this but here is a try. I feel like he is talking about the American Attitude. If so I agree that the American attitude needs to be changed. The American motto is survival of the fittest; at least that is what it seems most people feel. The idea that the self is all-important. Never putting others needs or feelings before the own. I feel that this is the real reason that we must analyze our behaviors. We need to see things from a communist perspective of the welfare of all.
This definition of
Cherilyn Okazaki I feel is really important in one aspect. The important thing is that she mentions we must study actions as a whole including the cognitive, affective and sensorimotor aspects of our behavior. I agree that all three of these are important in analyzing our behaviors. Our emotions effect our thoughts, our thoughts effect our emotions, and both effect our sensorimotor processes. All are important in the act of driving.
4.My experiences and Traffic Psychology
As a driver I feel that I am not the best character. As a person I am usually in such a great mood. In affective ways I am happy and relaxed. Often when I get behind the wheel everything changes. Many a time I will be in a rush for work and no matter what happens someone seems to get in my way. I have to drive through Waikiki everyday. If you know what that is like half the cars are in no rush to get anywhere and the other half are like me, they just want to get through without catching the lights. The traffic lights go in a wave action and it is possible to go through without catching a single light if you go at the right speed, which I have found to be about 40. Yes this is a little fast but when I am late all I care about is watching out for police. Back to the subject. Many a time tourists will be going anywhere from ten to 20 miles an hour. When I find myself behind them I get really upset. They are often not watching the road and are looking around at all the sites, signs or what ever. I find myself getting emotionally upset. Often I would think to myself that they are doing it on purpose or that they are stupid or something. This would just cause me to get upset and drive more recklessly to get around them. When I get in this way I start to look at others vehicles and drivers in the same way, that they are all stupid. Cognitively I start to break down and I start to make bad driving decisions.
Since taking this class I started to self analyze myself and I found that the fact is I am already emotionally, and cognitively disturbed when I enter the car. I found that I was always rushing and that I need to make sure I get a head start to work. I found that this was hard because I don?t enjoy going to work always and I seem to always wait till the last moment. I found one way that seems to work marvelously. I do enjoy walking through Waikiki looking at all the waves and longboarders and people on the beach, so I decided that I would no longer park at the hotel that I work at but instead park down the road near the park. I would get to park for free and enjoy watching the activity at the beach on my daily stroll. I found that personally this was a great motivator to go to work early. Now I go about fifteen to twenty minutes early and walk by the beach to see if any of my friends are cruising or going surfing. Then at the last minute I speed walk to work. We can talk about how I am as pedestrian later. That?s another issue. At least I?m not rushing in the car to work, now I just cruise with the tourists looking at all the interesting people in Waikiki. Another solution is that I try to put myself in the other drivers? perspective to realize their motivations for doing what they are doing. I realize that if I were on vacation I would not know the road and would want to enjoy the sites as well as be cautious.
Pedestrian:
The only problem I have as being a pedestrian is that other people don?t seem to know the rule that they should slow down and stop if someone is in the crosswalk. No I don?t mean that it is all right to Jaywalk. I don?t think it is right to stop up traffic, like those who are a danger should not be in Waikiki. But cars need, I mean drivers need to watch out for pedestrians. This I see in and around the University area. There is another problem, which are the pedestrians themselves. Many pedestrians seem to feel that they can walk whenever they feel like it and walk out in front of you just as the light is turning green. This happens in Waikiki all the time. This used to upset me. The light is green and I can?t go. No they are not finishing their crossing, but starting it instead. This can be a real danger, especially with many lanes. My lane might be stopped but if the lane next to me or the one next to that is freeflowing then cars are likely to just roll through and someone will get hurt. Don?t Jaywalk in Waikiki. It?s not smart and the police are balls out enforcing the law against Jaywalking. It is around a forty-five dollar ticket.
Passenger:
As a passenger I am calm depending on who the driver is. Unfortunately if you loose my trust as a being a competent driver than you don?t want me to be your passenger. One of my former girlfriends and I would always get into fights primarily due to me being a passenger and her being a driver. I look back now and see that I persistently would tell her that she should slow down for red lights and slowing traffic. She had lost my trust probably the first time we drove and I assumed she always drove that carelessly. She did not appreciate my input and you could visibly see distaste on her face. She would get very emotionally disturbed and make cognitive mistakes. I would aggravate her, which in turn would aggravate her poor driving which would reinforce my beliefs that she was incompetent. I have learned from this and I now refrain, I just close my eyes instead when I drive with iffy drivers.
Cyclist:
As a cyclist I rarely feel that I always very aware of my surroundings. I don?t feel protected and oblivious to small obstacles and slow moving vehicles like I do when I am driving in a car. I feel that in being less comfortable it makes me a lot more cautious of a driver on a bicycle because I am what I call "always on my toes" which means that I am very aware of what is around me. I feel that it is very hard to have road rage while on a bicycle. It is like walking. You cannot depersonalize others and yourself because you are not enclosed in a thousand pound piece of metal. This made me think that the reason people often act as they do behind the wheel is that they somehow feel some kind of displacement or security in the vehicle that allows them to act in a way that they normally wouldn?t.
5.Future improvements
6.Epilogue
For those students who decide to take this class, make sure you don?t just go through this class trying to get reports done. Rushing to finish them without really getting anything out of it. If you take this one semester to really work on yourself outside of class you can participate in discussions more indepth and get out of it more than just the idea of Traffic Psychology, but also a practical side that you can apply clinically to yourself. Good Luck.
My Report1: (Music and Driving)
My Report2: (Definitions of driving)