The human mind and how it behaves is aptly demonstrated in the act of driving an automobile. Psychologists find they can learn a great deal about people as they study the mind and thought processes of drivers. The car is a good setting for studying behavior-environment relationship. It lends itself to the scientific method and explores an individual’s internal mental states including their beliefs, desires and motivation behind what and why they do what they do behind the wheel.
The driver-car relationship is a perfect laboratory for studies in cognition. The driver’s mental processes and underlying behavior can be explored as it relates to a driver’s perception, learning process, problem solving, memory, attention, emotion from inputs from the vehicle and external to the vehicle.
A driving simulator allows subject matter experts to study a variety of behaviors and processes:
· Risk
· Responsibility
· Authority
· Anger
· General attitudes
· Aggressive driving
· Road rage
· Congestion
· Stress
· Compliance to laws
· Traffic control measures
· Turning, stopping, following
· Emergencies
· Distraction
· Multitasking
· Tired or sleepy drivers
· Novice drivers
· Elderly drivers
Psychology researchers are using driving simulators to conduct basic and applied research in driving involving the major aspects of human behavior while driving including perception, cognitive processing, and judgment and decision making. A high-fidelity driving simulator with programmable driving scenarios and extensive data collection capabilities can be an invaluable tool for scientific research for the subject-matter expert. Find out more…
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