Effects of implementation intentions on the self-reported frequency of drivers' compliance with speed limits.

This study tested the efficacy of implementation intentions in the context of drivers' speeding behavior. Participants (N = 300) completed self-report measures of goal intention and behavior, and they were randomly assigned to an experimental condition, which required them to specify an implementation intention, or a control condition. One month postbaseline, self-reported compliance with speed limits significantly increased for experimental participants but not for control participants. The effects of specifying an implementation intention on behavior increased with the strength of drivers' goal intentions. Finally, analysis of participants' implementation intentions revealed that specifying more behavioral strategies increased the frequency with which participants reported complying with the speed limit. Implications of the findings are discussed in relation to enhancing road safety interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term follow-up of cytostatic intravesical instillation in patients with superficial bladder carcinoma. Is short-term, intensive instillation better than maintenance therapy?

Change of road user attitudes is often advocated as a necessary condition for improvement of road safety. The relation between road user attitudes and accident risk is, however, not well known in road safety research. The objective of this study was to find out whether attitudes are of importance to road safety, i.e. the hypothesis is that drivers having attitudes considered correct according to the traffic code, have lower accident risk than other drivers. The attitudes of a representative sample of Norwegian driver's license holders as well as their accident involvement and driving distance were surveyed by mail questionnaires in two phases. When no other factor is taken into account, accident risk is found to be affected by driver attitudes. When, on the other hand, the age of drivers is taken into account, the relation between attitudes and accident risk disappears. It is concluded that age and annual mileage are more important to accident risk than are attitudes, and more knowledge of the relationship between attitudes and road accident risk is needed.     

The effects of a mobile telephone task on driver behaviour in a car following situation

The effects of a mobile telephone task on young and elderly drivers' choice reaction time, headway, lateral position, and workload were studied when the subjects were driving in a car-following situation, in the VTI driving simulator. It was found that a mobile telephone task had a negative effect upon the drivers' choice reaction time, and that the effect was more pronounced for the elderly drivers. Furthermore, the subjects did not compensate for their increased reaction time by increasing their headway during the phone task. The subjects' mental workload, as measured by the NASA-TLX, increased as a function of the mobile telephone task. No effect on the subjects' lateral position could be detected. Taken together, these results indicate that the accident risk can increase when a driver is using the mobile telephone in a car following situation. The reasons for the increased risk, and possible ways to eliminate it, are also discussed.     

Risk taking from the participant's perspective: The case of driving and accident risk.

Although perceived health risk plays a prominent role in theories of health behavior, its empirical role in risk taking is less clear. In Study 1 (N = 129), 2 measures of drivers' risk-taking behavior were found to be unrelated to self-estimates of accident concern but to be related to self-ratings of driving skill and the perceived thrill of driving. In Study 2 (N = 405), out of a wide range of potential influences, accident concern had the weakest relationship with risk taking. The authors concluded that although health risk is a key feature in many theories of health behavior and a central focus for researchers and policy makers, it may not be such a prominent factor for those actually taking the risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Internality and externality as correlates of involvement in fatal driving accidents.

Previous research has suggested that generalized internality–externality is related to cautious behavior, but attempts to relate Rotter's Internality–Externality (I–E) scale to driving accidents have been disappointing. Scales of internality and externality specifically oriented to driving behavior were developed with the hope that these scales would be more predictive than generalized I–E. These two new scales were administered in Israel to 200 applicants for drivers' licenses and to 200 individuals from the same general population who had been involved in a fatal motor accident. The multiple correlation between the two driving scales and the dichotomous criterion of involvement versus noninvolvement in a fatal driving accident was .38. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A causal model of the relationship among accidents, biodata, personality, and cognitive factors.

The purpose of this research was to construct and test a causal model of the accident process. Data were gathered on 362 chemical industry workers. The causal model was analyzed and cross-validated using LISREL VI. It was proposed that social maladjustment traits, some characteristics of neurosis, cognitive ability, employee age, and job experience would have independent causal effects on the accident criterion, even when the effects of accident risk and involvement in counseling were controlled. Two rationally derived, content-validated scales based on MMPI items were created to measure social maladjustment and the aspects of neurosis that result in a state of distractibility. The results showed the causal model as a whole to be viable in the initial and cross-validation analyses, and the social maladjustment and distractibility variables were found to be significant causal parameters of accidents. This study developed a new direction for future accident research by its use of causal modeling and by the creation of two new scales for the assessment of employee accident potential. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attribution of blame in accidental and violence-related traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To study reliability and validity of blame attribution following acute moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by violence versus accident. Study Design: Prospective study with test-retest component, comparing groups with violent versus accidental injuries as determined by self-report and chart review. Participants: Fifty-seven persons in acute rehabilitation for moderate to severe TBI. Measure: Eight-item Blame Attribution Questionnaire. Results: Blame attribution was reliable, even for participants with severe TBI. Violence and accident groups apportioned different amounts of blame to other people; concern with cause of injury and degree of self-blame showed less striking differences. Conclusions: Blame of others, which may increase risk of adverse psychological outcome, is strongest in those with violence-related TBI. Self-blame is not as strongly related to external circumstances and could signal a constructive coping mechanism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differentiation of visibility and alcohol as contributors to twilight road fatalities

Elevated road fatality rates at night involve multiple variables, each of which contributes to an unknown degree. In order to determine the relative contributions of reduced visibility and drivers' consumption of alcohol, we performed two quasi-experiments analyzing data recorded by the U.S. Fatal Accident Reporting System from 1980 through 1990. The results confirmed that both variables play a major role in nighttime road fatalities and revealed new evidence that they contribute differentially to two classes of fatal collisions: Degraded visibility in low illumination is associated primarily with collisions involving pedestrians and pedalcyclists, whereas drivers' consumption of alcohol plays a larger role in other fatal collisions.     

An organizational model of choice: a theoretical analysis differentiating choice, personal control, and self-determination

Individuals experience choice when they select one option from among meaningful alternatives that possess relatively equal attractiveness and some degree of indeterminacy. Choice has been found to influence important psychological and behavioral outcomes. After differentiating among choice, personal control, and self-determination, the author offers a model of choice, with self-determination as the key mechanism regulating how choice influences intrinsic motivation. The model suggests specific types of choice-relevant information that should affect whether choice results in an internal (self-determined) or external (controlled) locus of causality. The individual characteristics of locus of control, self-presentation, self-esteem, and Type A personality are suggested as possible moderators of the effects of choice. Finally, the implications of the choice model for organizations and further areas of research are discussed.     

A driving-simulator test of Wilde's risk homeostasis theory.

Previous experimental tests of risk homeostasis theory (RHT) have failed to manipulate both motivational and nonmotivational variables in an ecologically valid within-subject design. In this study, 24 Ss operated an interactive driving simulator under varying levels of a within-subject motivational factor (monetary accident cost), a within-subject nonmotivational factor (speed limit), and a between-subjects nonmotivational factor (speeding fine). Consistent with RHT, increased speed limit and reduced speeding fine significantly increased driving speed but had no effect on accident frequency. Moreover, increased accident cost caused large and significant reductions in accident frequency but no change in speed choice. Results suggest that in contrast to motivationally based accident countermeasures, regulation of specific risky behaviors such as speed choice may have little influence on accident rates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Drivers' compliance with speed limits: An application of the theory of planned behavior.

The theory of planned behavior (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985) was applied to drivers' compliance with speed limits. Questionnaire data were collected for 598 drivers at 2 time points separated by 3 months. TPB variables, demographic information, and self-reported prior behavior were measured at Time 1, and self-reported subsequent behavior was measured at Time 2. In line with the TPB, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived control were positively associated with behavioral intention, and intention and perceived control were positively associated with subsequent behavior. TPB variables mediated the effects of age and gender on behavior. Prior behavior was found to moderate the perceived control-intention and perceived control-subsequent behavior relationships. Practical implications of the findings for road safety and possible avenues for further research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specificity in the assessment of daily hassles: Hassles, locus of control, and adjustment in college students.

Argues that there are important differences in the hassles experienced by various populations and that measures of daily life hassles (DLHs) should be constructed specifically for the particular population being studied. The argument is supported by 2 studies conducted with 413 college students who received a modified version of the Hassles Scale, a multidimensional measure of locus of control, and various measures of adjustment. The Hassles Scale was associated significantly with depression in Study 1 and with depression and anxiety in Study 2. However, the perception of DLHs did not interact with an external locus of control to predict unique variance in adjustment scores in either study. Moreover, it was found in both studies that females gave higher severity ratings to their DLHs. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's autonomy and perceived control in learning: A model of motivation and achievement in Taiwan.

A model of motivation and achievement was tested with data from 50 teachers and 806 Grade 4-6 students in Taiwan. Autonomy as a construct was shown to have ecological validity in Chinese children. The proposed model fit the data well, showing that maternal involvement and autonomy support, as well as teachers' autonomy support, are important for children's autonomy and perceived control. Without the mediation of perceived control, autonomy had a small negative effect on performance; controlling for perceived control, external motivation orientation was a positive predictor for Chinese children's effort and performance. The teachers' reported motivating style, as construed in Western research, does not correspond with Chinese children's perceptions of their teachers nor does it have any relationship with their motivation measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

SERF: a program for accessible surface area calculations

An interview survey of 996 heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers was undertaken. It was designed to investigate the relationship between HGV drivers' accidents, daytime sleepiness (measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and other relevant physical characteristics. The drivers were sampled randomly at motorway service areas. The average age was 41.4 y (SD 10.5), they drove an average of 69700 miles annually (SD 36120), and their average score on the Epworth daytime sleepiness scale was 5.65 (SD 3.31). They reported an average accident liability of 0.26 accidents in a 3-y recall period. Drivers who reported snoring regularly whilst sleeping at night or who were obese or who had a noticeably large collar size had higher accident liabilities than those not exhibiting these characteristics. Accident liability increased with increasing scores on the Epworth daytime sleepiness scale. These findings suggest that further investigation of the mechanisms behind the higher accident rates of some categories of HGV drivers would be justified in the interests of road safety.     

Ego identity status, conformity behavior, and personality in late adolescence.

Tested the predictive relation among identity, status, personality, and conformity behavior in an attempt to replicate findings by N. Toder and J. Marcia (see record 1973-31281-001). In Study 1, with 40 male and 40 female undergraduates, no relation was observed between identity status (diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and identity achievement) and conformity on the measure developed by S. E. Asch (1956). Study 2, with 138 Ss, confirmed the validity of the measure of identity employed, the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status. In Study 3, 87 Ss completed 4 measures of conformity behavior—peer assessments, an experimental task, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and sections from the California Personality Inventory. Diffusion Ss were most influenced by peer pressures toward conformity, whereas identity-achievement Ss were most likely to report engaging in conformity behavior for achievement gains. Although Toder and Marcia's results on the Asch conformity task were not replicated, Study 3 supported the predicted relation between identity and conformity. (51 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between safety climate and safety performance: A meta-analytic review.

The current study used meta-analysis to examine the criterion-related validity of the relationships between safety climate, safety performance (participation and compliance), and occupational accidents and injuries. Support was found for the study's hypotheses linking organizational safety climate to employee safety compliance and participation, with the latter demonstrating the stronger relationship; however, the subsequent links to accident involvement were found to be weak, suggesting limited support for a fully mediated model. The relationship between safety climate and accident involvement was found to be moderated by the study design, such that only prospective designs, in which accidents were measured following the measurement of safety climate, demonstrated validity generalization. The implications of the findings and suggestions for further research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interaction between locus of control, level of inquiry, and subject control in the helping process: A laboratory analogue study.

To determine the effect of S characteristics and control on counseling, a laboratory analogue study was designed in which 3 experimental variables-level of inquiry, locus of control (using Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale), and S control-were combined in a 2 * 2 * 4 factorial design. 112 university-bound high school graduates, 87% of whom had consulted a school counselor regarding choice of a university program, were given varying degrees of control over the programing of their exploration by assigning them to groups in which high, low, and intermediate levels of external control were manipulated. As expected, high-inquiry, high-internal Ss made significant gains in all treatments but learned most under a high degree of S control, and high-inquiry, low-internal Ss gained significantly more under a high degree of external control. Overall, Ss functioning under a high degree of external control made the greatest gains. The relevance and implications of control operations manipulated in the analogue study are discussed for S-counselor interactions and counseling practice. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of the Accident Fear Questionnaire: An analysis based on motor vehicle accident survivors in a rehabilitation setting.

ABSTRACT. Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Accident Fear Questionnaire (AFQ; K. Kuch, B. J. Cox, & D. M. Direnfeld, 1995), a self-rated instrument developed for efficient screening of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and phobic avoidance after involvement in a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Participants: One hundred thirteen individuals receiving rehabilitation after an MVA. Setting: Tertiary rehabilitation center. Main Measures: The AFQ, comprising a 10-item accident profile and a 10-item phobic avoidance (PA) subscale; a structured clinical interview; and other self-report measures of psychopathology, personality and pain. Results: Correlations between the AFQ-PA total score and measures of psychopathology and personality indicated adequate convergent and discriminant validity. Patients diagnosed with PTSD or accident phobia scored higher on the AFQ-PA subscale and 6 of its 10 items than did those with neither diagnosis. An AFQ-PA cutoff score of 15 appears suitable for screening of patients in a rehabilitation setting. Hierarchical logistic regression indicated that the AFQ-PA was the only self-report measure that possessed incremental power over and above general negative affectivity in predicting group membership… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A short, valid, predictive measure of work–family conflict: Item selection and scale validation.

The purpose of this research is to develop an abbreviated version of Carlson, Kacmar, and Williams’s (2000) multidimensional measure of work–family conflict. The abbreviated measure would have high utility in research situations in which a measure representative of the entire theoretical construct is desired, but the use of a long measure is precluded, as in diary and longitudinal designs. Two 3-item abbreviated measures based on Carlson et al.’s multidimensional measures were developed, 1 to assess work-to-family conflict and 1 to assess family-to-work conflict. Two samples were used to provide concurrent and predictive validity evidence for the abbreviated measure. Results from Study 1 indicate that the abbreviated measure has the expected factor structure and exhibited concurrent and predictive validity that replicated results found with Carlson et al.’s 18-item measure. Results from Study 2 provide additional psychometric and construct validity evidence for the abbreviated measure; the abbreviated measure was internally consistent, exhibited good test–retest reliability, and was systematically related to measures of role stressors, work–family balance, and well-being outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Safety Analysis of Moving Road Vehicles on a Long Bridge under Crosswind

This paper presents a safety analysis of high-sided road vehicles running on a long span cable-stayed bridge when the road vehicle enters a sharp-edged crosswind gust while the bridge is oscillating under fluctuating winds. Road vehicle accidents, including overturning, excessive sideslip, and exaggerated rotation, are defined first. The mathematical model and the equation of motion of coupled road vehicle–bridge systems under crosswind are then established, which include road surface roughness, vehicle suspension, and the sideslip of the vehicle tire relative to the bridge deck in the lateral direction. A case study using a real long cable-stayed bridge and a high-sided road vehicle is finally conducted, and an extensive computational work is performed to obtain a series of accident vehicle speed against mean crosswind speed, by which the decision on the threshold of mean wind speed above which the bridge should be closed to the road vehicle can be made. The obtained accident vehicle speeds are also compared with those for the same vehicles running on the ground. It is shown that the oscillation of the cable-stayed bridge will lower the accident vehicle speed when wind speed reaches a certain level.