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Psychology (Functional Area: General Experimental)

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  • ItemOpen Access
    Absolute and Relative Visual Direction of Monocular and Binocular Targets
    (2019-11-22) Mapp, Alistair P.; Ono, Hiroshi
    Seven experiments designed to measure the accuracy and precision of absolute and relative direction judgments under monocular and binocular viewing conditions are presented. The experiments assess the validity of claims in the literature that (a) the cyclopean eye (the centre from which visual direction judgments are made) is not fixed in the head, but moves along the interocular axis as a function of the stimulus situation and the eye(s) used to view the stimuli, and (b) absolute direction during monocular viewing is based on signals from the viewing eye only. The results of the experiments refute these claims and elucidate which types of visual direction tasks are germane to specifying the location of the cyclopean eye. Specifically, the results show that monocular relative direction judgments are highly accurate and precise, are independent of binocular eye position, and cannot be used as the basis from which to infer the position of the cyclopean eye. Absolute direction judgments, on the other hand, are less precise than relative direction judgments, and the accuracy of both monocular and binocular absolute direction judgments is dependent upon binocular eye position. When the eyes converge accurately on the target of interest, absolute direction judgments are accurate. When the eyes converge inaccurately on the target of interest, which is often the case during monocular fixation, absolute direction judgments are inaccurate. These results clarify the important distinction between relative and absolute visual direction and are discussed in terms of how visual directions specified from the cyclopean eye (perceptual variables) are derived from the inputs from the two eyes (physical variables).
  • ItemOpen Access
    Modelling Aggressive or Risky Driving: The Effect of Cinematic Portrayals of Risky Driving
    (2018-05-28) Singhal, Deanna Marilyn; Wiesenthal, David L.
    The purpose of the current research was to investigate the influence of motion pictures, depicting aggressive or risky driving, on subsequent driving behaviour. Both experimental and descriptive research approaches were used in an attempt to demonstrate the robustness of this relationship. Study 1 employed an experimental design, in which participants drove through a test course on a driving simulator following exposure to either neutral, arousing, or aggressive and risky driving movie content. Various person, situation, and internal factors were assessed, along with various measures of aggressive or risky driving (e.g., speed, acceleration, passing frequency). Study 2 was an event study, which linked automated enforcement speeding data, from the City of Edmonton, to the release of two aggressive or risky driving movies (i.e., Fast and Furious 6 and Furious 7) to investigate changes in the number of speeding infractions and speed differential (i.e., amount the driver exceeded the posted speed limit). Multiple years of speeding infraction data provided a built in replication, allowing for comparisons across different years. The results from Study 1 provided evidence for the contribution of trait aggression, sensation seeking, driving vengeance, a history of violation (i.e., particularly speeding), and a provoking racing scenario to the modelling of aggressive or risky driving. Study 2 revealed an increase in the number of speeding infractions and mean speed differential for the opening weekend and first week post-movie release for Furious 7. The findings from these studies demonstrate the interactivity of person, internal, and situation factors in the modelling of aggressive or risky driving and suggest that movies, which depict this content, can influence real-world speeding behaviour. Public policy implications are addressed, with a strong suggestion for increased enforcement following the release of such movies, particularly during the first week. An emphasis is placed on production companies to provide warnings and address unsafe driving as a public health and safety concern. Also, viewers of such material are reminded of their responsibility, as drivers, to engage in thoughtful, non-risky action when presented with an aggressive driving opportunity.