University of Hawaii, Spring 2005, Psychology 409a

Seminar on Driving Psychology

Dr. Leon James, Instructor

 

Driving Psychology Lecture Notes

(version 3a)

 

 

Contents

 

Introduction: The Driver's Threefold Self

Driving Psychology Theory and Charts

Reading List and References
 

 

Introduction:
The Driver's Threefold Self

 

This seminar on driving psychology will give you the opportunity to examine driving behavior in detail by identifying the sub-components of driving habits in the three domains of behavior: affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor.

 

The objective of the course is for you to acquire self-witnessing and self-modification skills in the area of your driving behavior. Students who don't drive regularly can alter the objective to focus on witnessing the driving behavior of others and training them to modify their behavior. Alternately, they can do a report on being a pedestrian or a rider.

 

Driving behavior is defined along three interacting domains called "the driver's threefold self." The driver's "affective self" operates the feelings and motivations we maintain behind the wheel. The "cognitive self" operates the thinking and reasoning we do behind the wheel. The driver's "sensorimotor self" operates the sensations, perceptions,  and motor acts we perform behind the wheel.

 

The driver's threefold self is a joint product of biology, culture, socialization, morality, and rationality. As children we acquire the driving style of our parents, other adults, and characters in the media (TV, movies, magazines, cartoons, commercials). By the time we begin to drive in our adolescence we have been exposed to years of aggressive driving behaviors in all three domains:

(a) hostile feelings (driver's affective self)

(b) biased thoughts (driver's cognitive self)

(c)  aggressive actions (driver's sensorimotor self)

 

Surveys show that most drivers report experiencing these negative feelings and acting upon them by driving aggressively or engaging in road rage behaviors. Take a look at some of the surveys I have conducted -- they are posted on the Web at:  drdriving.org/surveys

 

When drivers reason under the influence of negative emotions, they tend to misinterpret the intentions of other drivers. Most drivers admit that they take unnecessary risks when feeling impatient or enraged, including breaking laws on a regular basis, and driving emotionally impaired. For example:

• going too fast for conditions

• tailgating

• following too close

• changing lanes without signaling

• going through red light

• engaging the intersection after the light turned yellow

• racing

• driving after drinking

• yelling obscenities at drivers, cyclists, or pedestrians

• darting in and out of lanes

• being impatient and taking risks that endanger other drivers and passengers

• feeling irrationally enraged at traffic and other drivers

• becoming distracted by multitasking behind the wheel

• Add your own here:_____________________

 

Along with Dr. Nahl, we have pioneered the method of self-witnessing the driver's threefold self. Students in prior generations have demonstrated that they can apply the self-witnessing method to themselves. This method consists of the systematic self-observation of one's emotions, thoughts, and actions while driving. Speaking your thoughts out loud greatly helps you to become aware of what you're thinking and feeling. The technique is described in our textbook (Road Rage and Aggressive Driving).

 

You will be publishing two reports on the Web this semester as part of your contribution to the generational curriculum on driving psychology (report 2) and on information literacy (report 1).  Thousands of people who navigate the Web find these generational student reports through Web search engines when they are looking for topics on driving or information literacy. Your contribution will contribute first, to yourself for improving your driving personality and your information literacy skills; second, for future students who will be reading your reports, and third, for the public at large. Your research, observations, and conclusions will be beneficial to others who will read your reports in the ensuing years. Long after you're no longer a student, your generational reports will still be serving the public.

 

Note on Privacy: Students can use a pseudonym on their reports instead of their real name. Students who publish their reports on the Web can delete their reports after being graded. They can also request to have their reports deleted from the Web after the semester at any time in the future by emailing Dr. James. Usually the request is honored on the same day it is received. Students can also submit their reports in typing, privately to the instructor instead of publishing them on the Web. This will not affect their grade.

 

Driving Psychology Theory and Charts

 

Here is a selection from the articles by Dr. James and Dr. Nahl that are posted on their Web site at DrDriving.org The specific address of the document is given below each Chart or Selection. You will find explanations for them there.

 

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Table 1 

Driver Behavior as Skills and Errors in Three Domains

 

 

The above comes from:   www.drdriving.org/articles/taxonomy.htm

 

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Table 2

Behavioral Zones of Driving

 

 

The above comes from:   www.drdriving.org/articles/taxonomy.htm

 

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Table 3

Two Stages of a Driving Personality Makeover Plan

 

 

The above comes from:   www.drdriving.org/articles/taxonomy.htm

 

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Table 4

The AWM Approach in Driver Self-Modification

 

·        First step:  Acknowledging that I have this particular negative habit. (A)

·        Second step:  Witnessing myself performing this negative habit. (W)

·        Third step:  Modifying this habit. (M)

 

For example, having picked the item "feeling regret at my unfriendly behaviors and impulses" for today's trip to work on, constitutes step 1, because selecting it is an act of acknowledgment.  Then, the driver has to witness this behavior during the trip.  In other words, drivers need to stay alert, maintaining focus on their emotions as they drive.  As soon as we detect the presence of hostile feelings, we need to follow it up with sentiments of regret or some form of disagreement with the hostile feeling.  This will serve to weaken the negative affective habit of entertaining hostile feelings towards other drivers on the road. The normal habit acquired in our socialization, would be to give in to the initial hostile impulse, to magnify it, to rehearse it several times.  All these habitual maladaptive procedures need to be interfered with or interrupted by means of the sentiments of regret that we introject into the event.  This constitutes the modification.  When the threestep process is practiced on repeated trips, the old affective habit sequence gradually weakens and is replaced by a new positive affective habit sequence.  The cyclical process is repeated item by item.  It is apparent from this why driver self-improvement needs to go on on a lifelong basis, and why social methods of motivation, like QDC groups, are needed to help drivers to persist in it and not give up.

 

Basic Principles in Driving Psychology  

These can be stated as follows:

1.      Driving is a complex of behaviors acting together as cultural norms.

 

2.      Driving norms exist in three domains: affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor.

 

3.      Driving norms are transmitted by parents, other adults, magazines, movies, TV.

 

4.      The primary affective driving norms for this generation are:

• valuing territoriality, dominance, and competition as a desirable driving style

• condoning intolerance of diversity (in needs and competencies of other drivers)

• supporting retribution ethics (or vigilante motives with desire to punish or amend)

• social acceptance of impulsivity and risk taking in driving

• condoning aggressiveness, disrespect, and the expression of hostility

These affective norms are negative and anti-social. Socio-cultural methods must be used to reduce the attractiveness of these aggressive norms and to increase the attractiveness of positive and cooperative driver roles.

 

5.      The primary cognitive driving norms are:

•  inaccurate risk assessment

• biased and self-serving explanations of driving incidents

•  lack of emotional intelligence as a driver

•  low or underdeveloped level of moral involvement (dissociation and egotism)

These cognitive norms are inaccurate and inadequate. Self-training and self-improvement techniques must be taught so that drivers can better manage risk and regulate their own emotional behavior.

 

6.      The primary sensorimotor driving norms are:

These sensorimotor norms are inadequate and immature. Lifelong driver self-improvement exercises are necessary to reach more competent habits of driving.

 

7.      Driving norms and behavior can be changed by socio-cultural management techniques that create in the driver a desire for change, by weakening negative norms and strengthening positive norms of driving.  Since driving is a habit in three domains of behavior, driving self-improvement is possible and effective in improving this habit. Specific elements in each domain must be addressed in recognition of the fact that driving consists of thousands of individual habits or sub-skills, each of which can be identified, measured, and improved, on a long term basis.

 

8.      Drivers maintain strong resistance to externally imposed restrictions and regulations so that these methods alone are not sufficient to create real changes in driver behavior. Socio-cultural methods of influence need to be used, such as QDCs (Quality Driving Circles).  Driving Psychology uses socio-cultural methods that act as change agents. Group dynamic forces are powerful influencing agents that can overcome drivers’ resistance to change. This is achieved by group activities that focus on this resistance in an explicit way, and afterwards, are put into conscious practice through follow up self-witnessing activities behind the wheel. These informal groups are called QDCs (Quality Driving Circles) and their function is to exert a long term or permanent socio-moral influence on the driving quality of its members. This positive influence is exerted by members on each other when they adhere to a Standard QDC Curriculum, as approved by designated safety officials or agencies on a regional or national basis. The QDC Curriculum is created through the principles of driving psychology.

 

9.      Driving is a semi-conscious activity since much of it depends on automatized habits acquired through culture and experience over several years. Thus, the driver’s self-assessment is not objective or accurate, until trained in objective self-assessment procedures.

 

10.  Driving inherently involves taking risks, making errors, and losing emotional self-control. Thus, drivers need to be trained in risk taking, error recovery, and emotional control under emergency or provocation conditions.

 

11.  Obtaining a driver’s license cannot be considered the end of driver training. Continued driver training in the form of guided lifelong self-improvement activities is essential for acquiring new skills. These new skills are needed as driving gets more complex with technology such as managing car audio devices , reading maps on screens , using computers , note taking , talking on phone or radio , keeping to a schedule , eating, etc.  The Standard QDC Curriculum (Quality Driving Circles) needs to be kept up-dated continuously and the latest additions are to be made available to all functioning QDCs in a region. These up-dates are to focus on new developments that technology brings to vehicles and roads, all of which require the acquisition of new skills by drivers.

 

The above comes from:   www.drdriving.org/articles/taxonomy.htm

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Table 5 Emotionally Intelligent Driver Personality Skills

Driver Competence Skills Aggressive NEGATIVE DRIVING Supportive POSITIVE DRIVING Not Emotionally Intelligent (REPTILIAN DRIVING)   Emotionally Intelligent (CORTICAL DRIVING)   1. Focusing on self vs. blaming others or the situation "This traffic is impossibly slow. What’s wrong with these jerks. They’re driving like idiots."   "I’m feeling very impatient today. Everything seems to tick me off." 2. Understanding how feelings and thoughts act together "I’m angry, scared, outraged. How can they do this to me."   "I feel angry, scared, outraged when I think about what could have happened."   3. Realizing that anger is something we choose vs. thinking it is provoked   "They make me so mad when they do that." "I make myself so mad when they do that." 4. Being concerned about consequences vs. giving in to impulse "I just want to give this driver a piece of my mind. I just want him to know how I feel." "If I respond to this provocation I lose control over the situation. It’s not worth it."   5. Showing respect for others and their rights vs. thinking only of oneself "They better stay out of my way. I’m in no mood for putting up with them. Out of my way folks." "I wish there was no traffic but it’s not up to me. These people have to get to their destination too."   6. Accepting traffic as collective team work vs. seeing it as individual competition "Driving is about getting ahead. I get a jolt out of beating a red light or finding the fastest lane. It’s me vs. everybody else."   "I try to keep pace with the traffic realizing that my movements can slow others down—like switching lanes to try to get ahead."   7. Recognizing the diversity of drivers and their needs and styles vs. blaming them for what they choose to do   "How can they be so stupid? They’re talking on the phone instead of paying attention to the road."   "I need to be extra careful around drivers using a hand held cellular phone since they may be distracted."   8. Practicing positive role models vs. negative "Come on, buddy, speed up or I’ll be on your tail. Go, go. What’s wrong with you. There’s no one ahead."   "This driver is going slower than my desires. Now I can practice the art of patience and respect for the next few minutes."   9.  Learning to inhibit the impulse to criticize by developing a sense of driving humor "I can’t stand all these idiots on the road. They slow down when they should speed up. They gawk, they crawl, anything but drive."   "I’m angry, I’m mad Therefore I’ll act calm, I’ll smile and not compete.  Already I feel better.  Be my guest, enter ahead."   10. Taking driving seriously by becoming aware of one’s mistakes and correcting them "I’m an excellent driver, assertive and competent, with a clean accident record—just a few tickets here and there." "I monitor myself as a driver and keep a driving log of my mistakes. I think it’s important to include thoughts and feelings, not just the overt acts."

The above comes from:   www.drdriving.org/articles/driving_psy.htm 

 

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The above comes from:   www.drdriving.org/articles/qdc.htm

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Exercise: Scenario Analysis to Develop Critical Thinking

"Dear DrDriving,

I'm a 16 year old boy and I was driving in tandem with a friend who is unfamiliar with driving in that area and on the freeway. It was almost midnight and we were driving to our homes. I had a friend from work who invited us to a party but we couldn't find his place so we drove back. I lost the address and all we did was drive around then started to go home. We did not have anything to drink and nobody had taken any drugs.

We got onto the freeway and while we were driving, a black SUV pulled up really fast and close behind my friend's car-who was in the center lane. I was in the left lane and wanted to stay close to my friend so he would not get lost. The SUV swerved around my friend's car to the slow lane and went past really fast. He started to swerve around all the other cars ahead of us and we thought he was gone.

A little bit later he was held up in the traffic and my friend and I were both in the left lane and passed him. My friend and I had to change to another freeway that had only two lanes for a while. The SUV took the same exit and my friend and I thought it was funny that he was behind us and we slowed down in both of the lanes (stupid plan). He pulled up behind me and then behind my friend and began pointing a gun. We got really scared and did everything we could to get away. He followed us really fast but never tried to pass us. This went on for miles. We were all swerving through traffic. I think I was driving about 90 miles an hour. Sometimes we thought he was gone and then we would see that he was just kind of hiding behind other cars. We got close to our exit and I started to flash my lights and honk at my friend so that he knew to take the exit. When we took the exit we saw the SUV follow us then pull over on the off-ramp.

When we got onto the road we were met by lots of police cars. We ended up with tickets for reckless driving and we are going to plead not guilty. We think that this driver did something illegal and could have caused an accident. We know that we were stupid and added to the problem but we think that he's an adult and he was the one who was making it into a battle. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions how to handle this? Thanks."

 

The Chart below identifies the specific chain of steps that together make up this road rage incident. There are 13 bad driving behaviors these two teenagers performed in sequence, as evidenced by their own description of the events (middle column). Your comments should answer two questions: (a) how does each step contribute to their trouble (focus on the bold words in column 2), and (b) how could they have backed out of it at each step by doing something else. Have your friends or family members also complete the exercise, then get together to compare and discuss everybody's solutions. Doing this exercise will strengthen your emotional intelligence as a driver by making you more aware of how your behavior influences other people's behavior on highways.

 Table 6

 

The above is from our textbook:  Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (Chapter 9) by Leon James and Diane Nahl:

www.drdriving.org/articles/book_toc.htm

 

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Readings

 

Textbooks:

• Leon James and Diane Nahl (2000). Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books)

• Peter Rothe, Editor (2002). Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer. (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press).

Articles on Driving Psychology by Leon James

1. Traffic Psychology at the University of Hawaii (2003)
               www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/traffic/tpintro.html

2. Driving Psychology Principles: Part 1
               www.drdriving.org/articles/driving_psy.htm   

3. Driving Psychology Principles: Part 2
               www.drdriving.org/articles/principles.htm         

4. Dealing With Stress and Pressure in the Vehicle: Taxonomy of Driving Behavior: Affective, Cognitive, Sensorimotor by Leon James and Diane Nahl (2002)
               www.drdriving.org/articles/taxonomy.htm

5. Loosening the Grip of Anger Behind the Wheel (1999)
               www.drdriving.org/articles/workshop.htm

6. Aggressive Driving is Emotionally Impaired Driving (2000)
               www.drdriving.org/courses/conference_paper.htm

7. Driving Distracted: Theory and Facts (2002)
               www.drdriving.org/articles/distracted.htm

8. Musings of a Traffic Psychologist in Traffic (1985)
               www.drdriving.org/articles/musings.htm

9. Driver Personality Test and Results (1998)
               www.drdriving.org/surveys/driver_personality.htm

10. Christian Driving Psychology (1996)
                www.drdriving.org/articles/christ.htm  

 

G 20 Student Reports on Driving Psychology

Report 1

1. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakawa-longboy/report1.htm 

2. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report1.htm 

3. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/sayo/report1.htm 

4. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/fukushima/report1.htm 

5. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/sayo/report1.htm

6. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kubo/report1.htm 

7. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/phillips/report1.htm 

Report 2

1. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/fukushima/report2.htm 

2. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakawa-longboy/report2.htm 

3. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/concep/report%202.htm

4. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report2.htm 

Report 3

1. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/chang/report%203.htm 

2. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakawa-longboy/report3.htm 

3. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/concep/report%203.htm 

4. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/kubo/report3.htm 

5. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/sayo/report3.htm 

G 21 Student Reports on Driving Psychology

 

1. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/le/409a-g21-report2.htm
2. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/park/report2.htm
3. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/Sansaver/report2.htm
4. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/hoang/409a-g21-report2.htm
5. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/hanai/409a-g21-report2.htm
6. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/azama/409a-g21-report2.htm
7. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/Razon/409a-g21-report2.htm
8. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/greer/409a-g21-report2.htm
9. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/duclos/409a-g21-report2.htm
10. www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/higa/409a-g21-report2.htm

 

 

Student Reports on Driving Psychology -- Earlier Generations

Drivers Behaving Badly on TV, Movies, Cartoons, Music Videos, Car Commercials:  DBB Ratings from the Generational Curriculum (1997)
            www.drdriving.org/articles/dbb.htm

Gender Differences in Driving Norms
            www.drdriving.org/articles/gender.htm

Student Reports on Driving Personality Makeovers
            www.drdriving.org/articles/makeover.htm 

 

Student Reports on Being a Driving Buddy
            www.drdriving.org/articles/makeover.htm 

 

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Instructions for your Oral Presentations and Schedule of Presentations:
see Class Home Page:
        www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/classhome-g22.htm

Back to Leon James Home:  www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/leon.html