Stephens, AN, Trawley, SL, Madigan, R orcid.org/0000-0002-9737-8012 et al. (1 more author) (2013) Drivers Display Anger-Congruent Attention to Potential Traffic Hazards. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 27 (2). pp. 178-189. ISSN 0888-4080
Abstract
Previous research has suggested that angry drivers may respond differently to potential hazards. This study replicates and extends these findings. Under simulated driving conditions, two groups of drivers experienced conditions that would either increase angry mood (N = 12; men = 6) or not (control group, N = 12; men = 6). All drivers then performed a neutral drive, during which they encountered a number of traffic events not experienced in the initial drive. These included vehicles emerging from driveways into their path and jaywalking pedestrians. Subjective anger, eye-movement behaviour and driving behaviours (speed and reaction times) were measured as drivers drove. Subjective moods (Profile of Mood States) were assessed before and after each drive. Anger-provoked drivers reported reliably higher increases in angry mood when compared with the control group after the initial drive, and these increases remained stable across the subsequent neutral drive. During the neutral drive, anger provoked drivers demonstrated evidence of more heuristic style processing of potential hazards, with shorter initial gazes at less apparent hazards and longer latencies to look back at jaywalking pedestrians obscured by parked vehicles. Anger-provoked drivers also took longer to make corrective actions to avoid potential collisions. It is concluded that anger-provoked drivers may initially make more superficial assessments of certain driving situations and consequently underestimate the inherent risk.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Transport Studies (Leeds) > ITS: Safety and Technology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2016 15:31 |
Last Modified: | 03 Nov 2016 02:19 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.0.3.234/acp.2894 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/acp.2894 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:90526 |