Spanish adaptation and validation of the Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI).

The Dula Dangerous Driving Index (DDDI) is a widely used questionnaire that measures the tendency to drive dangerously on the road through three different types of behaviors: aggressive driving, risky driving, and experiencing negative emotions while driving. This study aimed to develop a Spanish version of the DDDI and verify the reliability and validity of this questionnaire in the Spanish population. A community sample of 2174 Spanish participants (51.1% male; age range: 18-79 years) completed the 28-item Spanish version of the DDDI. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a three-factor model fitted adequately to the data. Analysis of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity showed that the Spanish adaptation of the DDDI had good psychometric properties and retains the theoretical consistency of the original scale. Gender and age differences were observed. The Spanish version of the DDDI can be considered a good instrument for assessing dangerous driving behavior, thus contributing to the cross-cultural study of these types of behaviors and the possible development of intervention programs aimed at reducing road traffic accidents.

The Effect of Partial Sleep Deprivation and Time-on-Task on Young Drivers' Subjective and Objective Sleepiness.

Despite sleepiness being considered one of the main factors contributing to road crashes, and even though extensive efforts have been made in the identification of techniques able to detect it, the assessment of fitness-to-drive regarding driving fatigue and sleepiness is still an open issue. In the literature on driver sleepiness, both vehicle-based measures and behavioral measures are used. Concerning the former, the one considered more reliable is the Standard Deviation of Lateral Position (SDLP) while the PERcent of eye CLOSure over a defined period of time (PERCLOS) seems to be the most informative behavioral measure. In the present study, using a within-subject design, we assessed the effect of a single night of partial sleep deprivation (PSD, less than 5 h sleeping time) compared to a control condition (full night of sleep, 8 h sleeping time) on SDLP and PERCLOS, in young adults driving in a dynamic car simulator. Results show that time-on-task and PSD affect both subjective and objective sleepiness measures. Moreover, our data confirm that both objective and subjective sleepiness increase through a monotonous driving scenario. Considering that SDLP and PERCLOS were often used separately in studies on driver sleepiness and fatigue detection, the present results have potential implications for fitness-to-drive assessment in that they provide useful information allowing to combine the advantages of the two measures for drowsiness detection while driving.

Mating Performance and Singlehood Across 14 Nations.

Adult individuals frequently face difficulties in attracting and keeping mates, which is an important driver of singlehood. In the current research, we investigated the mating performance (i.e., how well people do in attracting and retaining intimate partners) and singlehood status in 14 different countries, namely Austria, Brazil, China, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Peru, Poland, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the UK, and Ukraine (N = 7,181). We found that poor mating performance was in high occurrence, with about one in four participants scoring low in this dimension, and more than 57% facing difficulties in starting and/or keeping a relationship. Men and women did not differ in their mating performance scores, but there was a small yet significant effect of age, with older participants indicating higher mating performance. Moreover, nearly 13% of the participants indicated that they were involuntarily single, which accounted for about one-third of the singles in the sample. In addition, more than 15% of the participants indicated that they were voluntarily single, and 10% were between-relationships single. We also found that poor mating performance was associated with an increased likelihood of voluntary, involuntary, and between-relationships singlehood. All types of singlehood were in higher occurrence in younger participants. Although there was some cross-cultural variation, the results were generally consistent across samples.

Over-speeding trend across self-reported driving aberrant behaviors: A simulator study.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relation between self-reported aberrant behaviors as measured by using the Italian version of the Manchester Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ) and actual driving performance during a virtual simulation, focusing particularly on over-speeding. Individual variables are considered based on participants' behavior, and driving styles are derived from both the self-report questionnaire and the kinematic variables obtained through a moped simulator after the simulated driving task. The experiment was carried out on an Italian sample of 79 individuals aged between 18 and 35 who had to drive throughout virtual road environments. A cluster analysis of the kinematic variables provided by the simulator was used to individuate two different groups of drivers: 45 fell into the cluster named "Prudent" and 34 participants fell into the "Imprudent" cluster. The Prudent participants were characterized by lower acceleration, lower speed, better overall evaluations, and a smaller number of accidents. Correlations showed that self-report responses correlated positively with performance variables in terms of acceleration, speed, and over-speeding. Furthermore, the results from a MANOVA supported and complemented this evidence by emphasizing the usefulness of the integrated approach employed. Overall, these results reflect the suitability of experimental sample-splitting into two clusters, pointing out the appropriateness and relevance of self-report DBQ use with particular emphasis on Ordinary Violations and Lapses. The integrated use of the driving simulator and the self-report DBQ instrument with reference to driving behavior made it possible to support previous theoretical considerations regarding the relations between on-road aberrant behaviors and over-speeding behaviors. It also enabled the addition of evidence on the effectiveness of the simulator in detecting drivers' actual performance. These results are relevant to allow the integration of useful information to expand intervention and training designs that can be used to reduce risky behavior and promote road safety.

Visual Feedback Effectiveness in Reducing Over Speeding of Moped-Riders.

The use of assistance systems aimed at reducing road fatalities is spreading, especially for car drivers, but less effort has been devoted to developing and testing similar systems for powered two-wheelers (PTWs). Considering that over speeding represents one of the main causal factors in road crashes and that riders are more vulnerable than drivers, in the present study we investigated the effectiveness of an assistance system which signaled speed limit violations during a simulated moped-driving task, in optimal and poor visibility conditions. Participants performed four conditions of simulated riding: one baseline condition without Feedback, one Fog condition in which visual feedback was provided so as to indicate to the participants when a speed limit (lower than that indicated by the traffic signals) was exceeded, and two post-Feedback conditions with and without Fog, respectively, in which no feedback was delivered. Results showed that participants make fewer speeding violations when the feedback is not provided, after 1 month, and regardless of the visibility condition. Finally, the feedback has been proven effective in reducing speed violations in participants with an aggressive riding style, as measured in the baseline session.

Electrophysiological correlates of attentional monitoring during a complex driving simulation task.

Starting from the evidence that complex tasks (e.g., driving) require lots of cognitive resources, this research aims at assessing the change of attentional electrophysiological correlates during an oddball task performed while driving a simulator. Twenty-four participants drove along six courses on a moped simulator, preceded by a baseline condition (i.e., watching a video clip of one driving course). Throughout the task, an auditory passive multi-feature oddball with both traffic-related and unrelated stimuli was presented, and the EEG activity was recorded along with driving performance indexes. The main results point out that, as participants learn to drive safely, more attentional resources are available to process the deviant oddball stimuli, as shown by the increase in the amplitude of mismatch negativity (deviant pure tones) and P3a (traffic-related sounds) in the second block of driving. We interpreted these effects as dependent on stimuli complexity and salience.

Enhancement of unsafe behaviors in simulated moped-riding performance under the influence of low dose of alcohol.

The effects of low levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) on motorcyclist performance are still not fully comprehended. The great majority of the studies are, in fact, focused on car driving. So far, it is known that even BAC levels below the legal limit negatively affect riding motor skills correlated with crash rate. In the present study, we used a moped riding simulator to investigate the effects of low alcohol dosages (under the limits established in Italy, and in most European countries) on the defensive riding ability of light drinkers, particularly focusing on the degree of danger characterizing their riding performance. We recruited 24 participants through a double-blind, random distribution, balanced, cross-over design. We administered moderate amounts of alcohol to participants during two sessions of moped riding simulation. The results showed that even though BAC levels were always below (mean value: 0.03 g/dL) the limit allowed by Italian traffic law (0.05 g/dL), alcohol induced a reduction in safe riding behaviors, as indicated by the greater amount of hazardous scenes faced with dangerous riding behaviors when participants were under the influence of alcohol than when they were sober. Moreover, low BAC levels had a greater detrimental influence when a certain amount of learning had already been achieved by the participants (i.e., in the last experimental session). The results suggest that the effect of a low dose of alcohol interacts with participants' self-confidence.

A cross-cultural comparison of visual search strategies and response times in road hazard perception testing.

Road hazard perception is considered the most prominent higher-order cognitive skill related to traffic-accident involvement. Regional cultures and social rules that govern acceptable behavior may influence drivers' interpretation of a traffic situation and, consequently, the correct identification of potentially hazardous situations. Here, we aimed to compare hazard perception skills among four European countries that differ in their traffic culture, policies to reduce traffic risks, and fatal crashes: Ukraine, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. We developed a static hazard perception test in which driving scenes with different levels of braking affordance were presented while drivers' gaze was recorded. The test required drivers to indicate the action they would undertake: to brake vs. to keep driving. We assessed 218 young adult drivers. Multilevel models revealed that the scenes' levels of braking affordance (i.e., road hazard) modulated drivers' behavior. As the levels of braking affordance increased, drivers' responses became faster and their gaze entropy decreased (i.e., visual search strategy became less erratic). The country of origin influenced these effects. Ukrainian drivers were the fastest and Swedish drivers were the slowest to respond. For all countries, the decrement in response times was less marked in the case of experienced drivers. Also, Spanish drivers showed the most structured (least erratic) visual search strategy, whereas the Italians had the most rigid (most constant) one. These results suggest that road hazard perception can be defined cross-culturally, with cultural factors (e.g., traffic climate, legislation) modulating response times and visual search strategies. Our results also support the idea that a multimodal assessment methodology is possible for mass testing of road hazard perception and its outcomes would be relevant to understand how different traffic cultures shape driving behavior.

Response selection and attention orienting: a computational model of Simon effect asymmetries.

Recently, there has been a redirection of research efforts toward the exploration of the role of hemispheric lateralization in determining Simon effect asymmetries. The present study aimed at implementing a connectionist model that simulates the cognitive mechanisms implied by such asymmetries, focusing on the underlying neural structure. A left-lateralized response-selection mechanism was implemented alone (Experiment 1) or along with a right-lateralized automatic attention-orienting mechanism (Experiment 2). It was found that both models yielded Simon effect asymmetries. However, whereas the first model showed a reversed pattern of asymmetry compared with human, real data, the second model's performance strongly resembled human Simon effect asymmetries, with a significantly greater right than left Simon effect. Thus, a left-side bias in the response-selection mechanism produced a left-side biased Simon effect, whereas a right-side bias in the attention system produced a right-side biased Simon effect. In conclusion, results showed that the bias of the attention system had a larger impact than the bias of the response-selection mechanism in producing Simon effect asymmetries.

Interference between nonspatial stimulus features in the Simon effect.

We investigated whether learning effects influencing the Simon effect, such as those found when learning involves the spatial stimulus dimension, might be also found when learning tasks involve other nonspatial stimulus features, such as color, shape, and orientation. Experiment 1 focused on mutual influences between Simon tasks based on color and shape. The Simon task on color is affected by a previously performed Simon task on shape more than the latter is affected by a previously performed Simon task on color. We hypothesized that this difference depends on the difficulty of the tasks. Because orientation discrimination seems more difficult than both color and shape discrimination (Experiment 2), we predicted that a Simon task on orientation would be influenced by a Simon task on color or shape more than tasks on color or shape would be influenced by a task on orientation. Experiments 3 and 4 confirmed our hypothesis.

How Can On-Road Hazard Perception and Anticipation Be Improved? Evidence From the Body.

The present research is aimed at investigating processes associated with learning how to drive safely. We were particularly interested in implicit mechanisms related to the automatic processing system involved in decision making in risky situations (Slovic et al., 2007). The operation of this system is directly linked to experiential and emotional reactions and can be monitored by measuring psychophysiological variables, such as skin conductance responses (SCRs). We focused specifically on the generalization of previously acquired skills to new and never before encountered road scenarios. To that end, we compared the SCRs of two groups of participants engaged, respectively, in two distinctive modes of moped-riding training. The active group proceeded actively, via moped, through several simulated courses, whereas the passive group watched video of the courses performed by the former group and identified hazards. Results indicate that the active group not only demonstrated improved performance in the second session, which involved the same simulated courses, but also showed generalization to new scenes in the third session. Moreover, SCRs to risky scenes, although present in both groups, were detectable in a higher proportion in the active group, paralleling the degree of risk confronted as the training progressed. Finally, the anticipatory ability demonstrated previously (and replicated in the present study), which was evident in the repeated performance of a given scenario, did not seem to generalize to the new scenarios confronted in the last session.

Stressing the accuracy: Wrist-worn wearable sensor validation over different conditions.

Wearable sensors are promising instruments for conducting both laboratory and ambulatory research in psychophysiology. However, scholars should be aware of their measurement error and the conditions in which accuracy is achieved. This study aimed to assess the accuracy of a wearable sensor designed for research purposes, the E4 wristband (Empatica, Milan, Italy), in measuring heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and skin conductance (SC) over five laboratory conditions widely used in stress reactivity research (seated rest, paced breathing, orthostatic, Stroop, speech task) and two ecological conditions (slow walking, keyboard typing). Forty healthy participants concurrently wore the wristband and two gold standard measurement systems (i.e., electrocardiography and finger SC sensor). The wristband accuracy was determined by evaluating the signal quality and the correlations with and the Bland-Altman plots against gold standard-derived measurements. Moreover, exploratory analyses were performed to assess predictors of measurement error. Mean HR measures showed the best accuracy over all conditions. HRV measures showed satisfactory accuracy in seated rest, paced breathing, and recovery conditions but not in dynamic conditions, including speaking. Accuracy was diminished by wrist movements, cognitive and emotional stress, nonstationarity, and larger wrist circumferences. Wrist SC measures showed neither correlation nor visual resemblance with finger SC signal, suggesting that the two sites may reflect different phenomena. Future studies are needed to assess the responsivity of wrist SC to emotional and cognitive stress. Limitations and implications for laboratory and ambulatory research are discussed.

Neurocognitive and behavioral markers in DUI recidivists.

Objective: Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol recidivism may be a risk-taking behavior motivated by a change in decision-making capacity. Decision-making capacity has been investigated by event-related potentials (ERPs) acquisition and specifically by analyzing feedback-related negativity (FRN) reflecting the activity of medial prefrontal cortex. Thus, the aim of our study was to test the role of FRN as a possible neurophysiological marker of underestimation of risk associated with DUI recidivism to provide novel insights into the influence of neurocognitive aspects of driving ability.Methods: The research was structured as a case-control study. The total cohort (30 Italian male subjects) was divided into 2 groups, according to positive or negative history of DUI recidivism. The protocol included informed consent collection, medical history and clinical examination, ERP registration, and sensation-seeking scale administration. ERPs were acquired during a gambling task. The data were analyzed with 2 analysis of variance (ANOVA) repeated measures. Statistical analyses were conducted using R to test the participants' risk behaviors. A multivariate ANOVA was run to compare the personality traits of the groups. ANOVAs and planned comparisons were performed with StatSoft software.Results: FRN amplitude analyses showed that the interaction Reward Magnitude × Valence (large vs. small × gains vs. losses) was significant for recidivists (F(1,13) = 11.75, P < .01) but not for controls (F(1,14) = 0.04, P = .84). The results of the logistic generalized linear models analysis showed that the 2 groups differed in risk-taking behavior (z = -3.65; P < .001) with an average of 70 risky choices for recidivists and 63 for controls. Both groups were homogeneous for personality traits.Conclusions: The FRN and gambling task results suggest that DUI recidivists seemed attracted by the prospect of a large reward and appeared unable to recognize small losses read as wins These results, if confirmed in a larger sample, could indicate the usefulness of ERP analysis in clinical and forensic evaluation of DUI subjects.

Personality Traits and Beliefs About Peers' On-Road Behaviors as Predictors of Adolescents' Moped-Riding Profiles.

Several efforts aimed at discriminating between different degrees of on-road risky attitudes have been devoted to the identification of personality profiles among young drivers. However, the results are often inconsistent because of the limits of self-report measures. To overcome these limits, we tried to identify different profiles based on our study participants' driving performances in a virtual environment and to look for psychological predictors of inclusion in one of three profiles. One-hundred and fourteen inexperienced adolescents were involved in this study, which included two experimental sessions. During the first, before riding along five virtual courses on a moped simulator, participants' sensation seeking, locus of control, aggressiveness and beliefs about their peers' on-road behaviors were measured by means of self-report tools. During the second session, the participants drove the simulator along six courses that were different from those faced in the first session. A cluster analysis was run on a wide number of indexes extracted from the participants' performances to detect different riding profiles. Three profiles emerged (Imprudent, Prudent and Insecure), with specific riding patterns. The profiles also differed in terms of riding safety, assessed by means of the scores automatically given by the simulator to the participants' performances. Reporting an external locus of control, underestimating peers' on-road risky behaviors and showing less concern for fate among the possible causes of crashes are predictors that increase the risk of being included in the Imprudent profile. Low levels of dangerous thrill seeking predict inclusion in the Prudent profile, whereas high rates of self-reported anger play a role in discriminating the Insecure riders from the other profiles. The study indicates that it is possible to identify riding profiles with different degrees of on-road safety among inexperienced adolescents by means of simulated road environments. Moreover, inclusion in these profiles is predicted by different patterns of personality variables and beliefs. Further research is needed to verify the validity of these conclusions in real road conditions.

A First Step toward the Understanding of Implicit Learning of Hazard Anticipation in Inexperienced Road Users Through a Moped-Riding Simulator.

Hazard perception is considered one of the most important abilities in road safety. Several efforts have been devoted to investigating how it improves with experience and can be trained. Recently, research has focused on the implicit aspects of hazard detection, reaction, and anticipation. In the present study, we attempted to understand how the ability to anticipate hazards develops during training with a moped-riding simulator: the Honda Riding Trainer (HRT). Several studies have already validated the HRT as a tool to enhance adolescents' hazard perception and riding abilities. In the present study, as an index of hazard anticipation, we used skin conductance response (SCR), which has been demonstrated to be linked to affective/implicit appraisal of risk. We administered to a group of inexperienced road users five road courses two times a week apart. In each course, participants had to deal with eight hazard scenes (except one course that included only seven hazard scenes). Participants had to ride along the HRT courses, facing the potentially hazardous situations, following traffic rules, and trying to avoid accidents. During the task, we measured SCR and monitored driving performance. The main results show that learning to ride the simulator leads to both a reduction in the number of accidents and anticipation of the somatic response related to hazard detection, as proven by the reduction of SCR onset recorded in the second session. The finding that the SCR signaling the impending hazard appears earlier when the already encountered hazard situations are faced anew suggests that training with the simulator acts on the somatic activation associated with the experience of risky situations, improving its effectiveness in detecting hazards in advance so as to avoid accidents. This represents the starting point for future investigations into the process of generalization of learning acquired in new virtual situations and in real-road situations.

Sensation Seeking, Non-contextual Decision Making, and Driving Abilities As Measured through a Moped Simulator.

The general aim of the present study was to explore the relations between driving style (assessed through a moped riding simulator) and psychological variables such as sensation seeking and decision making. Because the influences of sensation seeking and decision making on driving styles have been studied separately in the literature, we have tried to investigate their mutual relations so as to include them in a more integrated framework. Participants rode the Honda Riding Trainer (HRT) simulator, filled in the Sensation Seeking Scale V (SSS V), and performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). A cluster analysis of the HRT riding indexes identified three groups: Prudent, Imprudent, and Insecure riders. First, the results showed that Insecure males seek thrills and adventure less than both Prudent males and Insecure females, whereas Prudent females are less disinhibited than both Prudent males and Insecure females. Moreover, concerning the relations among SSS, decision making as measured by the IGT, and riding performance, high thrill and adventure seekers performed worse in the simulator only if they were also bad decision makers, indicating that these two traits jointly contribute to the quality of riding performance. From an applied perspective, these results also provide useful information for the development of protocols for assessing driving abilities among novice road users. Indeed, the relation between risk proneness and riding style may allow for the identification of road-user populations who require specific training.

Asymmetrical hemispheric EEG activation evoked by stimulus position during the Simon task.

The Simon effect has been previously shown to be asymmetric at both the behavioral and electrophysiological levels. The present investigation was aimed to clarify whether, during a Simon task, hemispheric asymmetry is also observed in the early phases of stimulus processing. In a group of healthy subjects performing the Simon task, we analyzed scalp potentials evoked by the first lateralized cue (left or right), instead of the classical readiness potential preceding the motor response. ERP results showed a significant left cortical activation to stimuli presented in the right visual field at the 140-160 ms time window. Instead, left stimuli elicited a significant activation of the right versus left hemisphere starting at the next 160-180 ms time interval. We linked this asymmetry to that observed in behavioral data: the Simon effect recorded with left stimuli is smaller than the Simon effect recorded with right stimuli. Results confirm the hypothesis that in right handed subjects, left hemisphere is specialized for motor response selection and is able to process right stimuli faster than the right hemisphere does for left stimuli.

Simon effect with and without awareness of the accessory stimulus.

The authors investigated whether a Simon effect could be observed in an accessory-stimulus Simon task when participants were unaware of the task-irrelevant accessory cue. In Experiment 1A a central visual target was accompanied by a suprathreshold visual lateral cue. A regular Simon effect (i.e., faster cue-response corresponding reaction times [RTs]) was found. Experiment 1B demonstrated that this effect cannot be attributed to perceptual grouping of the target and cue. Experiments 2A, 2B, and 2C showed a reverse Simon effect (i.e., faster noncorresponding RTs) when participants were not aware of the cue. In this condition, the Simon effect would occur relative to the reorientation of attention from the cue, which would initially capture attention, toward the target. This conclusion is supported by the results of Experiments 3A and 3B, in which the reorientation of attention was induced by having the target flash after its onset. With suprathreshold cues either a reverse or regular Simon effect was observed by using a 100-ms or > or = 200-ms onset flashing interval, respectively, whereas with subthreshold cues a reverse Simon effect was found irrespective of the interval length.

Long-lasting virtual motorcycle-riding trainer effectiveness.

This work aimed to test the long-lasting effects of learning acquired with a virtual motorcycle-riding trainer as a tool to improve hazard perception. During the simulation, the rider can interact with other road actors and experience the most common potential accident situations in order to learn to modify his or her behavior to anticipate hazards and avoid crashes. We compared performance to the riding simulator of the two groups of participants: the experimental group, which was trained with the same simulator one year prior, and the control group that had not received any type of training with a riding or driving simulator. All of the participants had ridden a moped in the previous 12 months. The experimental group showed greater abilities to avoid accidents and recognize hazards in comparison to their performance observed a year before, whereas the performance of the control group was similar to that of the experimental group 1 year before in the first two sessions, and even better in the third. We interpreted this latter result as a consequence of their prior on-road experience. Also, the fact that the performance of the experimental group at the beginning of the follow-up is better than that recorded at the end of the training-1 year before-is in line with the idea of a transfer from the on-road experience to the simulator. The present data confirm our main expectation that the effectiveness of the riding training simulator on the ability to cope with potentially dangerous situations persists over time and provides additional evidence in favor of the idea that simulators may be considered useful tools for training the ability to detect and react to hazards, leading to an improvement of this higher-order cognitive skill that persists over time. Implications for the reciprocal influence of the training with the simulator and the on-the road experience are discussed as well.