OpenAdaptxt: an open source enabling technology for high quality text entry

Modern text entry systems, especially for touch screen phones and novel devices, rely on complex underlying technologies such as error correction and word suggestion. Furthermore, for global deployment a vast number of languages have to be supported. Together this has raised the entry bar for new text entry techniques, which makes developing and testing a longer process thus stifling innovation. For example, testing a new feedback mechanism in comparison to a stock keyboard now requires the researchers to support at least slip correction and probably word suggestion. This paper introduces OpenAdaptxt: an open source community driven text input platform to enable development of higher quality text input solutions. It is the first commercial-grade open source enabling technology for modern text entry that supports both multiple platforms and dictionary support for over 50 spoken languages

THE EFFECT OF CONCUSSION ON REACTION TIME AND DUAL TASKING ABILITY IN A SIMULATED DRIVING ENVIRONMENT: SOME PRELIMINARY RESULTS

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of concussion on drivers' reaction time and dual tasking ability in a simulated driving environment. Testing was performed with a STlSlM Model 400 driving simulator. Participants (27 healthy and 7 two weeks to six months post-concussion) were exposed to multiple reaction time scenarios including pedestrian, vehicle, and cyclist incursions. Dual tasking ability was measured using STlSlM dual task scenarios. There were longer reaction times in concussed participants (t(7.578)=2.342, p=.049) and a lower number of mean dual task passes in concussed participants (t(8.914)=2.558, p=.031), both of which were statistically significant. Understanding the effect concussion has on driving ability is the first step to creating a guideline for clinicians to refer to when assessing concussed patients and determining if they are fit to drive

THE EFFECT OF CONCUSSION ON REACTION TIME AND DUAL TASKING ABILITY IN A SIMULATED DRIVING ENVIRONMENT

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of concussion on drivers’ reaction time and dual tasking ability in a simulated driving environment. Testing was performed with a STISIM Model 400 driving simulator. Participants (10 healthy and 10 two weeks to three months post-concussion) were exposed to multiple reaction time scenarios including pedestrian, vehicle, and cyclist incursions. Dual tasking ability was measured using STISIM dual task scenarios. There were longer reaction times in concussed participants (F(1, 18) = 2.072, p = .001, ��2=.600) and a lower number of mean dual task passes in concussed participants (F(1, 18) = 23.145, p = .001, ��2 = .563), both of which were statistically significant. Understanding the effect concussion has on driving ability is the first step to creating a guideline for clinicians to refer to when assessing concussed patients and determining if they are fit to drive

A Research Synthesis of Text Messaging and Driving Performance

To determine the effects of text messaging on driving performance, all available experimental studies that measured driving performance were identified through a variety of database searches and backtracking strategies, and analyzed using standard research synthesis methods. Fourteen studies with a total of 519 participants were coded and analyzed. Methodology, independent and dependent variables, and statistical analyses varied widely across studies, but conclusions were clear and convergent. Reaction time, crashes, longitudinal and lateral control, eye movements, hazard detection and subjective workload measures indicate significant decrements in driving performance while reading and typing text messages. The importance of the results for further policy development and methodological reporting is briefly introduced

Can I Have Your Attention? Implications of the Research on Distractions and Multitasking for Reference Librarians

The media have identified the last decade as “the age of distraction.” People today find it harder to work on long, sustained tasks because distractions are eroding their attention span, fostering a culture of discontinuity. Fields as diverse as psychology, business, education, human-computer interaction, and communication studies have produced a wealth of studies on interruptions, distractions, and multitasking–research that has important implications for reference librarians. The nature of our jobs invites interruptions by the public, requires familiarity with the latest technology, stimulates curiosity about a broad range of subjects, and demands adeptness at multitasking–all factors which can atomize attention

Texting While Driving: Evaluation of Glance Distributions for Frequent/Infrequent Texters and Keypad/Touchpad Texters

The threat that cell-phones pose to driving has been a well researched topic. There are fewer studies of the threat that texting creates for drivers, but the risks are obvious and the few existing studies confirm this. What is not obvious is whether frequent texters will expose themselves to the same risks as infrequent texters. This is important to know because many texters, especially teens who text frequently, may consider themselves immune to the dangers of texting while driving. As such, a comparison of frequent and infrequent texters was undertaken on a driving simulator. It is also not immediately clear what effects the different types of interfaces have on driving performance while text messaging. The interfaces under evaluation included keypad or “qwerty” phones (e.g., Blackberries) and touchpad phones (iPhone). It was found that the frequent and infrequent texters were equally likely to glance at least once for more than 2s inside the vehicle while sending a text message. It was also found that touchpad texters had a larger number of glances above the 2s threshold than keypad users, though this difference was not significant. The implications of this for future public policy are discussed

Mobile phone use while driving: Underestimation of a global threat

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. The use of mobile phones (cell phones) has increased dramatically in the 21st century. The popularity of mobile phones and smart phones in the computer age can in part be associated with the growing problem of driver distraction. There are indications that the use of mobile phones while driving is one of the leading contributors to road traffic collisions (RTCs). However the true impact of the contribution of mobile phones to RTCs is masked by deficiencies in reporting. This review examines the evidence of association between mobile phone use and RTCs, placing emphasis on the challenges associated with reporting the role of mobile phones in RTCs across different countries, including the United States of America, Canada, China and Great Britain

Driving Distractions Perceptions among Young Drivers in an Urban Area of Shah Alam

Distracted driving is one of the contributing factors to traffic accidents. This study aimed to identify the causes of driving distractions, evaluate the effects of distractions, and propose recommendations for managing driving distractions among young drivers. Questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS by applying descriptive statistics and odds ratios. Results suggested mobile phone usage, reaching for objects, and alcohol and drug intoxication are the most common causes of driving distractions among young drivers. There is a statistically insignificant effect of any type of distractions on the driving performance of young drivers with regards to traffic violations and road traffic accident involvement. Keywords: Distraction; Young Drivers; Safety; Distracted Driving eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI8.390

Mindfulness predicts less texting while driving among young adults: Examining attention- and emotion-regulation motives as potential mediators.

Many young adult drivers read and send text messages while driving despite clear safety risks. Understanding predictors of texting-while-driving may help to indentify relevant targets for interventions to reduce this dangerous behavior. The present study examined whether individual differences in mindfulness is associated with texting-while-driving in a sample of young-adult drivers. Using path analysis, we tested whether this relationship would be mediated by the degree to which individuals use text-messaging as a means of reducing unpleasant emotions (emotion-regulation motives) and the degree to which individuals limit texting in order to focus on present-moment experiences (attention-regulation motives). Individuals lower in mindfulness reported more frequent texting-while-driving and this relationship appeared to be mediated primarily by emotion-regulation motives. Results may help inform the development of mindfulness-based interventions to prevent texting-while-driving