Michelle Arnold

Doctoral Dissertation Announcement

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Candidate: Michelle Arnold

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychology

Title: Increasing Following Headway in a Driving Simulator and Transfer to Real World Driving

Committee:
Dr. Ron Van Houten, Chair
Dr. Heather McGee
Dr. John Austin
Dr. William Rantz

Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
3517 Wood Hall

Abstract:
The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effects of a package intervention including prompts, goal setting, feedback, education, and behavioral self-monitoring to increase following headway or decrease tailgating of four young university student drivers in a simulated driving environment. Another purpose of the present study is to determine if the effects of the package intervention will transfer to real world driving by installing a black box video camera in the participants’ vehicles. During intervention drivers are prompted to increase following headway and are provided a specific target for following headway. The participants are also asked to estimate following headway prior to each session and when the session ends are given feedback on actual following headway. The introduction of a treatment package in the simulator is associated with an increase in following headway for all participants and during the reversal phase, maintenance occurs. The effects transfer to real world driving situations. Teaching individuals to increase following headway may be one strategy that drivers use to offset losses of perceived safety and decrease the risk of accidents.