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Instructor: Dr. Leon James, Professor of Psychology
1. Quote three online definitions of traffic psychology from the Generational Curriculum, and link to each. Summarize what you got out of the definitions and give examples from your own experiences that show why traffic psychology is needed.
2. One theory in traffic psychology is that tailgating is the attempt to force your will over another driver. Find three self-witnessing reports that discuss tailgating behavior and link to them. Does it make sense to you to interpret these tailgating behaviors by the witnesses as forcing their will over other drivers? Are there moral implications to tailgating: Is it ethical? Fair? Justifiable? Spiritually wrong? Or just convenient and no big deal?
3. One principle in traffic psychology is that driving behavior includes the affective domain (feelings, motives), the cognitive domain (thoughts, judgments), and the sensorimotor domain (sensory input and motor output). All three are present in any single traffic behavior. Select two traffic incidents described in the Generational Curriculum (link to them), and show how each incident involves all three domains of the witness.
4. What is a driving personality make-over? Describe it in your own words based on three self-witnessing reports in the Generational Curriculum (link to them). Name two or more psychology concepts (from your other courses) that in your view relate directly to how a driving personality make-over operates to create changes.
5. Select five incidents from the Generational Curriculum (link to them), and for each, create a cartoon vignette (with or without the drawing).
6. Do a mini-self-witnessing experiment. Select one of the following to work on: following too close, going too fast, not making a complete stop, being impatient, feeling violent, being abusive to passengers. Day 1: drive in the usual way and observe your feelings, thoughts, and acts. Either think aloud into a tape recorder while driving or make notes at the end of the trip, before you leave the car. Day 2: try to deliberately drive in the opposite style of your usual, especially with respect to the behavior you're trying to modify. Observe and record as before. Write up a description of the two days and discuss the differences. What principles of traffic psychology can you draw from your experience?
7. Be a designated driving huddle-buddy to someone. Coach that person to do a mini-driving personality make-over. Day 1: your client drives the usual way and you make comments as a passenger on whatever you observe. Keep encouraging the driver to think aloud. Take notes during the trip as well as after the trip when you discuss the experience with your client. Day 2: for the duration of this trip, your client agrees to drive the way you want. Keep encouraging the driver to think aloud. Take notes during the trip and after, following the de-briefing session. Write up a description of the two days and discuss the differences. What principles of traffic psychology can you draw from this attempt? Focus especially on resistance.
8. Use Web search engines to locate sites that discuss speeding and link to them. Who are the participants? What is their motive? Summarize the arguments pro and con. How do you stand on this issue? What should traffic psychology do about it?
9. Go through the USENET group on rec.autos and summarize the topics and the arguments. What sort of attitude or focus do you see? What are the implications for traffic psychology theory and approach?