The project of enhancing traffic safety is a continuous effort that will not cease in its aspirations. In fact, as technology evolves and additional digital artifacts are implemented into our cars, the attention to traffic safety becomes even more important. Driving a car through urban and rural environments is a cognitively challenging task that especially tax attentional resources, and as more artifacts compete for our attention during driving, the adherence to traffic safety is vital. Thus, factors that influence driving ability, such as sleep, nutrition and – perhaps - emotions are of great interest. An earlier study by Bulmash et al. (2006) hypothesized that individuals with Major Depressive Disorder would perform worse than controls in a study using a driving simulator; their hypothesis was confirmed. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether dysphoric individuals show reduced driving performance relative to controls. The notion of dysphoria refers to mild depression in a non-clinical sense. This was investigated using a driving simulator that measured Lateral Positioning (Standard Deviation of Lateral Position - SDLP) on the road, Brake Reaction Time (BRT) and performance on a secondary task (Peripheral Detection Task - PDT). Dysphoric individuals were identified using the Major Depression Inventory (MDI). The hypothesis was partly confirmed, as dysphoric individuals did indeed show more variable positioning on the road. However, performance differences on PDT and BRT were not significant. The results indicate that the negative influence of mood on driving ability is not a discrete phenomenon primarily manifested in individuals with clinical depression, but is rather a continuous phenomenon. The results should be of special interest to clinicians that evaluate individuals with depressive tendencies, as well as the academic community in general since the insights into the impact of emotions on cognitive performance are inconclusive and still not clearly understood. These results might also be of interest in other domains of high complexity, where human performance is of great importance, such as Command and Control, nuclear power plants and control rooms in general.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 302-310).

Two major objectives of organisations are to achieve firm performance and to maintain a competitive advantage; strategies to achieve these objectives differ widely. Research at the entrepreneurship and marketing interface investigates the application of both dimensions on firm activities, processes and behaviour to achieve different performance parameters. In the field of entrepreneurial marketing research two key approaches are discussed: a market-driven and a market-driving approach. Market-driven approaches, though applied by many organisations, are less successful in allowing organisations to outperform others and create long-term competitive advantage. Market-driving, on the other hand, is considered to contribute to enduring competitive advantage. Current research indicates that the construct of market driving and the factors that influence it are not well understood. The purpose of this study is therefore to measure market driving and determine firm-internal factors that influence an organisation’s market-driving ability in the South African healthcare industry. In this research, constructs drawn from the literature study were used to formulate the conceptual framework and statistical model. The empirical part of the study used a fully structured telephonic questionnaire and the respondents were managers in organisations in the South African healthcare industry. Data analysis employed structural equation modelling. The results indicate that market driving can reliably be measured by three activities: market sensing; influencing customer preferences; and alliance formation. Entrepreneurial behaviour, strategic orientation and entrepreneurial capital have a more positive impact on market-driving ability than corporate entrepreneurial management. The study demonstrated that market-driving ability significantly benefits firm performance and relative competitive strength. The study provides a solid basis for future research in the field. Moreover, the results of the study can be applied by organisations in a three-step process. First, organisations can assess their current level of market driving. Second, they can assess influencing factors, and finally identify areas for improvement. Through continuous reassessment organisations can work on their market-driving ability to achieve their organisational objectives. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Business Management / unrestricted

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the world and cognitive impairments post stroke are common. Driving is an occupation of great importance to many individuals and enables participation in society but due to cognition deficits after stroke it can be a difficult task to perform adequately. The aim of this study was to review and map interventions used to improve driving ability after stroke within occupational therapy practice. A literature search was conducted using Arksey and O’Malley's six-stage framework [1], and a search was made in four different databases. Seven articles were found and used for further analysing. Results showed two main categories of interventions. Task-specific training consisting of either simulator-based training or behind the wheel training in real traffic, and training of raw cognitive functions focused on driving related abilities. Both interventions overall showed improvement of driving ability, with task specific training being somewhat superior. Considering the easy implementation possibilities, cognitive training with specific focus on driving skills could be used in current occupational therapy practices. Larger studies might prove task-specific training to be much more superior which can then motivate more simulator-based intervention possibilities. Future studies could also focus on improving self-awareness as a factor.

Tidigare forskning har visat att unga i jämförelse med äldre förare, har en mer positiv inställning till att ta risker och håller en generellt högre hastighet i trafiken (Hatfield & Fernandes, 2009). Forskning har också visat att unga förare, framför allt män har en tendens att överskatta sin körförmåga (De Craen et al., 2011). Självskattning kan mätas medolika metoder, något som bland annat Sundström (2008) menar kan påverka resultatet. Flera studier har visat att unga förare kan göra en mer exakt bedömning av sin körprestation när de bedömer en specifik körförmåga snarare än när de jämför deras allmänna körprestation med den genomsnittliga förarens (Mynttinen et al., 2009a; Mynttinen et al., 2009b). Syftet med den aktuella studien var att undersöka om självskattad körprestation påverkas av körerfarenhet samt om det fanns något samband mellan körprestation och självskattad körprestation eller riskbedömning. Studien ämnade att göra detta genom att besvara följande frågeställningar 1. Finns det ett samband mellan ålder och självskattad körförmåga? 2. Finns det ett samband mellan körprestation och självskattad körprestation? 3. Finns det ett samband mellan körprestation och riskbedömning? Totalt deltog 48 förare i studien, där hälften var i åldrarna 18–25 och resterande i åldrarna 45–60. Experimentet genomfördes hos Statens väg- och transportforskningsinstitut (VTI) där deltagarna fick köra ett 20 minuter långt scenario i en stationär körsimulator. Innan, under och efter körningen ombads deltagarna att skatta sin körprestation och upplevda risk. Efter körningen hölls en kompletterande intervju. Resultaten visade att det inte fanns något signifikant samband mellan ålder och självskattad körförmåga, något som tyder på att körerfarenhet inte hade någon inverkan på självskattning. Det fanns en antydan till samband mellan körprestation och både självskattning och riskbedömning. För riskbedömning generellt fanns en potentiell effekt för både ålder och kön, något som inte fanns hos självskattad körprestation. Studien ger en indikation på samband för både körprestation och självskattad körprestation samt körprestation och riskbedömning som behöver studeras vidare med ett större underlag. / Previous research has shown that young in comparison with older drivers, have a more positive attitude towards taking risks and maintain a generally higher speed in traffic (Hatfield & Fernandes, 2009). Research has also shown that young drivers, especially men, tend tooverestimate their ability to drive (De Craen et al., 2011). Self-assessment can be measured using different methods, something that Sundström (2008), with others,believes can affect the result.Several studies have shown that young drivers can make a more accurate assessment of their driving performance when assessing a specific driving ability rather than when they are assessingtheir general driving performance against the average driver (Mynttinen et al., 2009a; Mynttinen et al., 2009b). The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether self-rated driving performance was affected by driving experience and whether there was any correlation between driving performance and self-rated driving performance or risk assessment. The study intended to do this by answering the following questions 1. Is there a correlation between age and self-rated driving ability? 2. Is there a correlation between driving performance and self-rated driving performance? 3. Is there a correlation between driving performance and risk assessment? A total of 48 drivers participated in the study, half of them were in the age group 18–25 and the rest were in the age group 45–60. The experiment was carried out at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) where the participants completed a 20-minute long driving scenario in a stationary simulator. Before, during and after the drive, participants were asked to estimate their driving performance and perceived risk. After that, a supplementary interview was held. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between age and self-rated driving ability, which indicates that driving experience had no effect on self-assessment. There was a hint of correlation between driving performance and both self-assessment and risk assessment. For risk assessment in general, there was an effect for both age and gender, something that did not exist in self-rated driving performance. The study provides an indication of a relationship between both driving performance and self-rated driving performance, as well as driving performance and risk assessment that need to be studied further with a larger sample.

Inledning: Denna studie handlar om äldres körförmåga och de faktorer som påverkar den utifrån teori om utförandekapacitet (Kielhofner & Taylor, 2017). Eftersom äldre påverkas negativa på flera sätt när de inte längre kan köra bil bör det vara en prioritet för arbetsterapeuter att hitta sätt att främja aktiviteten om möjligt. Syfte: Att beskriva äldres erfarenheter av faktorer som påverkar deras körförmåga. Metod: En kvalitativ design med fokusgruppintervjuer. Informanter rekryterade genom bekvämlighetsurval. Inklusionskriterier var en ålder från 70 samt att de körde bil minst två gånger i veckan. Två fokusgrupper med fem deltagare vardera genomfördes. Materialet analyserades med hjälp av kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Informanternas upplevelser resulterade i fyra huvudkategorier: Aktsam körning med underkategori Vanor, Framförhållning, Trafikmiljö som stödjer och stör; Konsekvenser av naturligt åldrande med underkategorier Synförändringar, Trötthet; Bilen en vän eller fiende med underkategorin GPS som stöd. Slutsatser: Det som framkommit kan bidra till utvecklandet av strategier som möjliggör aktiviteten. Det kan även hjälpa vårdpersonal att bättre förstå äldres körförmåga och föra pedagogiska samtal med äldre vars körförmåga är tveksam. Ytterligare forskning krävs för att undersöka relevans och säkerhet inom kategorierna. / Introduction: This study concerns older adults driving abilities and the factors that affect this ability from an occupational therapy view of performance capacity (Kielhofner & Taylor, 2017). Sense driving cessation affect older adult in many negative ways it should be a priority of occupational therapists to find ways to promote the activity if possible. Aim: To describing older adult experiences about factor that effect their driving ability. Method: A qualitative design using focus group interviews recruited by convenience selection. Inclusion criteria from an age of 70, driving at least two times a week. Two groups of five each where interviewed. The material was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Informants experiences resulted in four main categories: Careful driving with subcategory Habits, Forward attitude, Traffic environment that supports and interferes; Consequences of natural aging with subcategories Vision changes, Tiredness; The car a friend or foe with subcategory GPS as support. Conclusions: Further research is required to investigate relevance, and safety in the categories. Nevertheless, the result can contribute to the development of strategies that enable the activity. It can also help healthcare workers better understand older adults driving ability and discuss the subject with them.

This simulator study aims to investigate if there is a relationship between self-awareness of driving ability and traffic safety behaviour. Self-awareness in this study is accurate self-evaluation of one’s abilities. By letting 97 participants (55-75 years old) drive the simulator and answering the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI; Warner et al., 2013) as well as the Multidimensional locus of control (T-loc; Özkan & Lajunen, 2005). A measure of self-awareness was computed using the residuals from regression line. Furthermore, this measure could show if a participant over-estimated or under-estimated their ability. Four self-awareness measures were made. The self-awareness measures were compared to traffic safety behaviour. Three different traffic safety measures were computed using specific events in the simulator scenario. The self-awareness measures were grouped into three groups; under-estimators, good self-awareness and over-estimators. These groups were then compared to each other with respect to traffic safety. A multivariate ANOVA was made to test for differences between the self-awareness groups but no significant main difference was found. The results showed no difference in traffic safety behaviour given the different levels of self-awareness. Furthermore, this could be a result of the old age of the sample group as self-awareness may only be relevant in a learning context. The conclusion of the study is that the analysis shows that there is no difference between over-estimators and under-estimators of driving ability, at least not in experienced older drivers.

Performing multiple tasks simultaneously is proposed to have an influence on the amount of mental resources available for attending to incoming stimuli’s. Concentration is presumed to be divided between focussing on driving (incoming visual information) while attending to incoming auditory information. The study aimed to investigate the influence of the tempo of music on concentration and driving ability by means of simulation. Concentration was measured by driving errors (DE) whereas driving ability was measured by lap-times (LT) and elicited behaviour. Four treatment conditions were utilised; that is a no-music (NM) control condition, low tempo music (LTM)-, medium tempo music (MTM)- and high tempo music (HTM) treatment conditions. Results found that the tempo of music does not have an influence on concentration; however, significant results were obtained indicating that the tempo of music does have an influence on driving behaviour. / Psychology / M.A. Soc. Sc. (Psychology)

Performing multiple tasks simultaneously is proposed to have an influence on the amount of mental resources available for attending to incoming stimuli’s. Concentration is presumed to be divided between focussing on driving (incoming visual information) while attending to incoming auditory information. The study aimed to investigate the influence of the tempo of music on concentration and driving ability by means of simulation. Concentration was measured by driving errors (DE) whereas driving ability was measured by lap-times (LT) and elicited behaviour. Four treatment conditions were utilised; that is a no-music (NM) control condition, low tempo music (LTM)-, medium tempo music (MTM)- and high tempo music (HTM) treatment conditions. Results found that the tempo of music does not have an influence on concentration; however, significant results were obtained indicating that the tempo of music does have an influence on driving behaviour. / Psychology / M.A. Soc. Sc. (Psychology)