The Effects of Speech Production and Speech Comprehension on Simulated Driving Performance

We performed two experiments comparing the effects of speechproduction and speech comprehension on simulated driving performance. In bothexperiments, participants completed a speech task and a simulated driving taskunder single- and dual-task conditions, with language materials matched forlinguistic complexity. In Experiment 1, concurrent production and comprehensionresulted in more variable velocity compared to driving alone. Experiment 2replicated these effects in a more difficult simulated driving environment, withparticipants showing larger and more variable headway times when speaking orlistening while driving than when just driving. In both experiments, concurrentproduction yielded better control of lane position relative to single-taskperformance; concurrent comprehension had little impact on control of laneposition. On all other measures, production and comprehension had very similareffects on driving. The results show, in line with previous work, that there aredetrimental consequences for driving of concurrent language use. Our findingsimply that these detrimental consequences may be roughly the same whetherdrivers are producing speech or comprehending i

Aging and the Effects of Conversation with a Passenger or a Caller on Simulated Driving Performance

A total of 96 pairs of older and younger drivers participated in a study assessing the effects of conversation on the driving performance of older and younger drivers in a simulated city environment. These effects were investigated while drivers conversed with an in-vehicle passenger or an outside-vehicle caller. All of the passengers completed three separate, counterbalanced blocks of tasks that consisted of two single-task blocks (driving only and conversing only) and one dual-task block (driving and conversing). The results showed greater variability in velocity, lane keeping and steering control under single-task than under dual-task conditions. Drivers also showed greater average velocity and greater deviation from the center of the lane under single-task than under dualtask conditions. However, when crossing an intersection, a task requiring greater attentional resources, drivers exhibited a cost due to the dual task. Our data are consistent with the literature, which suggests that a secondary task may aid in the performance of a routinized task but may also impose costs if the primary task requires significant attentional resources. Older drivers exhibited greater variability in velocity, stayed closer to the center of the lane, and waited longer to cross intersections than their younger counterparts, suggesting that they compensate for their declining perceptual and cognitive abilities through changes in driving behavior. Drivers exhibited greater variability in steering under singletask conditions when talking to an outside-vehicle caller, and older drivers showed greater variability in velocity when conversing with an outside-vehicle caller

Identifying cognitive distraction using steering wheel reversal rates

The influence of driver distraction on driving performance is not yet well understood, but it can have detrimental effects on road safety. In this study, we examined the effects of visual and non-visual distractions during driving, using a high-fidelity driving simulator. The visual task was presented either at an offset angle on an in-vehicle screen, or on the back of a moving lead vehicle. Similar to results from previous studies in this area, non-visual (cognitive) distraction resulted in improved lane keeping performance and increased gaze concentration towards the centre of the road, compared to baseline driving, and further examination of the steering control metrics indicated an increase in steering wheel reversal rates, steering wheel acceleration, and steering entropy. We show, for the first time, that when the visual task is presented centrally, drivers’ lane deviation reduces (similar to non-visual distraction), whilst measures of steering control, overall, indicated more steering activity, compared to baseline. When using a visual task that required the diversion of gaze to an in-vehicle display, but without a manual element, lane keeping performance was similar to baseline driving. Steering wheel reversal rates were found to adequately tease apart the effects of non-visual distraction (increase of 0.5 degree reversals) and visual distraction with offset gaze direction (increase of 2.5 degree reversals). These findings are discussed in terms of steering control during different types of in-vehicle distraction, and the possible role of manual interference by distracting secondary tasks

The Role of Emotion Regulation in Promoting Prosocial Sibling Relationships

135 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.Emotion regulation has been recognized as a significant component of children's social development that plays a predominant role in helping to establish prosocial interactions with family members and peers (Blair, Denham, Kochanoff, & Whipple, 2004). Conflicts between siblings represent a significant problem for many families. Because the sibling relationship is a potentially volatile one, the promotion of emotion regulation skills may reduce negativity in this relationship. The goal of this study was to investigate whether strengthening emotion regulation and prosocial sibling behaviors, through an intervention program, More Fun with Sisters and Brothers (MFWSB), leads to improved sibling relationship quality in children aged 4 to 8 years. Sibling dyads were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 55) or wait list control (n = 40) group. Parents provided pre- and post-test reports of five dimensions of their children's emotion regulation abilities (i.e., inhibitory control, self-control, down regulation, regulation of positive emotions/exuberance, and regulation of negative emotions) and three dimensions of sibling relationship quality (warmth, agonism, and rivalry/competition). Participation in MFWSB was associated with improvements in down regulation for older, F (1, 76) = 11.87, p < .001, and younger, F (1, 76) = 9.49, p < .01, siblings, whereas children in the control condition showed no improvements. Improved down regulation indicated that children needed less direction from parents to control their behaviors and refrain from directing negative behaviors toward others. Repeated measures ANOVAs tested the effects of the intervention on parents' reports of sibling relationship quality. Significant group by observation interaction effects emerged for both sibling Warmth, F (1, 94) = 6.61, p < .01, and Agonism, F (1, 94) = 13.15, p < .001. Children in the experimental condition improved in these dimensions whereas children in the control group exhibited less sibling Warmth and no change in Agonism. These results indicate the value of MFWSB as an intervention program aimed at helping children regulate emotions and improve sibling relationship quality. Implications of these results for future research and practice include the importance of developing intervention programs that improve emotion regulation skills and lead to harmonious rather than conflictual sibling relationships.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

The Role of Emotion Regulation in Promoting Prosocial Sibling Relationships

135 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.Emotion regulation has been recognized as a significant component of children's social development that plays a predominant role in helping to establish prosocial interactions with family members and peers (Blair, Denham, Kochanoff, & Whipple, 2004). Conflicts between siblings represent a significant problem for many families. Because the sibling relationship is a potentially volatile one, the promotion of emotion regulation skills may reduce negativity in this relationship. The goal of this study was to investigate whether strengthening emotion regulation and prosocial sibling behaviors, through an intervention program, More Fun with Sisters and Brothers (MFWSB), leads to improved sibling relationship quality in children aged 4 to 8 years. Sibling dyads were randomly assigned to an experimental (n = 55) or wait list control (n = 40) group. Parents provided pre- and post-test reports of five dimensions of their children's emotion regulation abilities (i.e., inhibitory control, self-control, down regulation, regulation of positive emotions/exuberance, and regulation of negative emotions) and three dimensions of sibling relationship quality (warmth, agonism, and rivalry/competition). Participation in MFWSB was associated with improvements in down regulation for older, F (1, 76) = 11.87, p < .001, and younger, F (1, 76) = 9.49, p < .01, siblings, whereas children in the control condition showed no improvements. Improved down regulation indicated that children needed less direction from parents to control their behaviors and refrain from directing negative behaviors toward others. Repeated measures ANOVAs tested the effects of the intervention on parents' reports of sibling relationship quality. Significant group by observation interaction effects emerged for both sibling Warmth, F (1, 94) = 6.61, p < .01, and Agonism, F (1, 94) = 13.15, p < .001. Children in the experimental condition improved in these dimensions whereas children in the control group exhibited less sibling Warmth and no change in Agonism. These results indicate the value of MFWSB as an intervention program aimed at helping children regulate emotions and improve sibling relationship quality. Implications of these results for future research and practice include the importance of developing intervention programs that improve emotion regulation skills and lead to harmonious rather than conflictual sibling relationships.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD