Does the use of a cell phone while driving influence the driver's ability to execute a proper turn? Is there difference between genders pertaining to motor skill while driving in a simulated driving environment? To accomplish this task, three groups of ten participants (5 women and 5 men) each were tested using a scripted test scenario focusing on left and right turns. The participants were made to drive through a test scenario to get used to the driving simulator. The scenario for the experimental group was an inner-city training scenario with the presence of vehicular traffic and the main focus area was on six critical turns (3 left and 3 rights). The apparatus used for this study was the "Patrol Simulator" built by GE Driver Development. A 2 (Gender) x 3 (Cell phone condition) between subjects design was used to assess the differences in mean driving performance between gender (male and female) at 3 cell phone conditions (No Phone, Phone No Conversation, Phone with Conversation). The study verified that cellular phones would adversely affects a driver's ability to perform turns, and showed that gender plays a role in this effect. However, it did confirm that gender does not play any role in a person's overall ability to drive. The results indicated a significant main effect for Cell phone Condition for overall turns , F (2, 24) = 38.83, p > .0005, n[eta]² = .76. Results also indicated a significant interaction between Gender and Cell Phone Conditions, F (2, 24) = 3.97, p=.032, n[eta]² = 0.25.

Gray level co-occurrence matrix has proven to be a powerful basis for use in texture classification. Various textural parameters calculated from the gray level co-occurrence matrix help understand the details about the overall image content. The aim of this research is to investigate the use of the gray level co-occurrence matrix technique as an absolute image quality metric. The underlying hypothesis is that image quality can be determined by a comparative process in which a sequence of images is compared to each other to determine the point of diminishing returns. An attempt is made to study whether the curve of image textural features versus image memory sizes can be used to decide the optimal image size. The approach used digitized images that were stored at several levels of compression. GLCM proves to be a good discriminator in studying different images however no such claim can be made for image quality. Hence the search for the best image quality metric continues.

This research investigated the effectiveness of in-vehicle information technologies on driver behavior in work zones. In-vehicle information devices can increase driver awareness to an oncoming change in traffic flow and provide specific guidelines for driving speed requirements, lane merging strategies, or unexpected changes in the roadway (e.g., detours and lane shifts). The overall conditional effects for vehicle speed are significant; that is, both the audio and visual groups out performed the control group within the simulated work zone. Participants in audio group did outperform the visual group, not significantly though. The overall conditional effects for total time in violation are significant; that is, both the audio and visual groups out performed the control group. The test session results for Total Time in Violation were statistically significant, F(2, 57) = 7.17, p ≤ .01. The strength of relationship between the warning messages and the Total Time in Violation with regular road signage, as assessed by η2 , was strong, the warning message factor accounting for 20% of the variance of the dependent variable.

Multimedia training methods have traditionally relied heavily on video based technologies and significant research has shown these to be very effective training tools. However production of video is time and resource intensive. Machinima (pronounced 'muh-sheen-eh-mah') technologies are based on video gaming technology. Machinima technology allows video game technology to be manipulated into unique scenarios based on entertainment or training and practice applications. Machinima is the converting of these unique scenarios into video vignettes that tell a story. These vignettes can be interconnected with branching points in much the same way that education videos are interconnected as vignettes between decision points. This study addressed the effectiveness of machinima based soft-skills education using avatar actors versus the traditional video teaching application using human actors. This research also investigated the difference between presence reactions when using avatar actor produced video vignettes as compared to human actor produced video vignettes. Results indicated that the difference in training and/or practice effectiveness is statistically insignificant for presence, interactivity, quality and the skill of assertiveness. The skill of active listening presented a mixed result indicating the need for careful attention to detail in situations where body language and facial expressions are critical to communication. This study demonstrates that a significant opportunity exists for the exploitation of avatar actors in video based instruction.

This research investigation examined the effects of GO Solve Word Problems math intervention on problem-solving skills of struggling 5th grade students. In a randomized controlled study, 16 5th grade students were given a 12-week intervention of GO Solve, a computer-based program designed to teach schema-based instruction strategies (SBI's) to solve math word problems and 16 control students continued with the standard school-based mathematics curriculum. A subset of items from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) as well as the Group Mathematics Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GMADE) was used to measure student test performance. Examiner-made probes were given to both the treatment and control groups every other week to measure student progress. Results indicate that the mean difference scores of the experimental and control groups were statistically significant on a subtest of MCAS problems and a large effect size was reported. However, no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups was found on the on the Process and Application subtest of the GMADE. On examiner-made probes, there was a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups. Limitations of this study as well as implications for practice will be discussed.

Nonmedical use of prescription stimuluants (NMUS) can cause adverse outcomes for college students including academic impediments, such as a lowered GPA, and polyuse of illicit substances (Garcia et al., 2021; Holt & McCarthy, 2019; Norman & Ford, 2018). The current study investigated the demographics, academics, stress, and polysubstance use between students who endorsed NMUS and those who did not in an undergraduate college population sample at a large public university in the Southeast. The sample consisted of 429 undergraduate students who completed online measures of demographics, perceived stress, stressful life events, and substance use. Overall, 3.4% of the sample reported NMUS within the past two weeks. Chi-square analyses suggested that the two groups did not differ in gender, ethnicity, and year in school. A significant difference between groups was found for race (p = .002). Students who self-identified as White were more likely to report NMUS as compared to students self-identifying as another race. No significant difference between groups was found for credit hours or GPA. Additionally, no significant differences were observed between groups regarding stress and stressful life events. Concerning overall substance use, approximately 70% of the sample endorsed no drug use. Notably, students who endorsed NMUS were more likely to report some use of another non-stimulant type of drug, suggesting that NMUS may occur in the context of polyuse for some students.

This study was designed to examine qualitative data regarding gender and age differences about significant life events that are recalled when music is remembered. Two groups of participants were recruited, younger adults (M = 19.78, SD = 4.99) and older adults (M = 49.31, SD = 8.72). Data were collected by creating a survey and allowing participants to choose whichever songs, from their own experience, they like and asking them to list detailed memories that are attached to the song. Using the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (2015) software, data was coded into categories of word count, positive and negative emotions, and how sociable words are. On average, young adults (M = 18.66, SD = 13.39) use more words when recalling their musical memories than older adults (M = 15.09, SD = 8.86). Data also suggests that young women (M = 9.76, SD = 4.91) use less words that are ranked as social than older women (M = 13.44, SD = 6.25). The impact of this study sheds some light on how music influences the memories of our culture, our society, and our self.

This study examines the effect of a short term (30 min) self-efficacy intervention on job search behavior and job search related state-anxiety then proposes a sequential mediation model. Using a sample (N = 272) college students recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (N = 160) and a small liberal arts college in California (N = 112), participants completed a job search skills quiz and were randomly assigned to a positive feedback condition. They then immediately filled out self-report measures for self-efficacy (Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy), state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y), and job search behavior (Proactive Career Behavior Measure). The results suggest that a positive effect of the intervention on job search behaviors is mediated by a reduction in anxiety and increase in career decision making self-efficacy. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for college career counselors will be discussed.

The United States Constitution provides its citizens protection from unreasonable searches and seizures from government officials, including police officers, through the Fourth Amendment. This Amendment applies to searches that violate a reasonable expectation of privacy. However, the Fourth Amendment does not protect citizens when they consent to a search voluntarily. It is necessary to determine whether or not a search is voluntary by looking at a variety of factors. Although an infinite number of factors can be considered to make this determination, race of both the police officer and of the person being searched should be considered, due to societal factors and racial stereotypes leading to intimidation factors. Participants (N=575) read a vignette about a situation in which a bus passenger was asked to consent to a search. The races of the police officer and the passenger were manipulated in a vignette (White, Latino, Black). Participants then answered a series of questions about privacy expectations and consenting to the search. The results suggested that race of police officers and recipients of search requests affects how search requests perceive the search, indicating that voluntariness of consenting to a search may also have some basis in race.

Home field advantage remains one of the least understood phenomenon in sports. Much effort has been put into testing the different components that contribute to the phenomenon, but a clear explanation is lacking. The purpose of the present paper is to provide a better understanding of home field advantage by analyzing previous literature and experiments on the topic. The paper will also organize the major components involved in home field advantage by updating Courneya and Carron’s conceptual framework. The paper will explain the importance of studying the topic and will highlight significant experiments that have produced contradictory results. Lastly, the paper will focus on the critical psychological states of the competitors, as it remains the least understood component of the aggregate study. Keywords: home advantage, athletic competition, Courneya and Carron