AN ASSESSMENT OF SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE PERFORMANCE OF A SIMULATED DRIVING TASK

PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM 89 MALE AND 74 FEMALE LICENSED DRIVERS THROUGH THE USE OF THE SIM-L-CAR POINT LIGHT SOURCE DRIVING SIMULATOR. THIRTEEN MEASUREMENTS INVOLVING INDICES OF STEERING INPUT, ACCELERATOR INPUT, SPEED MAINTENANCE, AND LATERAL PLACEMENT WERE INCLUDED IN THE SIM-L-CAR TEST BATTERY. DATA FROM THE BATTERY WERE SUBJECTED TO A SERIES OF MULTIPLE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSES. THE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSES REVEALED THAT THE SIM-L-CAR TEST BATTERY WAS CAPABLE OF DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN SEX GROUPINGS, SEX/AGE GROUPINGS, SEX/VIOLATION GROUPINGS, SEX/ACCIDENT GROUPINGS, SEX/DRIVING EXPOSURE GROUPINGS, SEX/TYPE OF DRIVING GROUPINGS, SEX/RISK GROUPINGS, AND SEX/DRIVER EDUCATION GROUPINGS. TO DETERMINE THE INDEPENDENT INFLUENCE OF THE VARIOUS CO-MODERATOR VARIABLES, THE EFFECTS OF THE SEX MODERATOR VARIABLE WERE REMOVED AND ADDITIONAL DISCRIMINANT ANALYSES WERE MADE. THEY REVEALED THAT THE SIM-L-CAR TEST BATTERY WAS CAPABLE OF DISCRIMINATION AMONG VIOLATION GROUPINGS OF THE MALE DATA, ACCIDENT GROUPINGS OF MALE DATA, AND DRIVING EXPOSURE GROUPINGS OF THE FEMALE DATA. DESCRIPTIVE DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THE DRIVER SUBJECTS THROUGH THE USE OF A DRIVING QUESTIONNAIRE WHICH CONTAINED ITEMS PERTINENT TO DRIVING HISTORY AND DRIVER ATTITUDE. SINCE BASIC SEX DIFFERENCES WERE DEMONSTRATED, IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT CURRENT ACCIDENT COUNTERMEASURE AND DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAMS WHICH HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED ON THE BASIS OF THE MALE DRIVING PERFORMANCE DATA MAY BE IN NEED OF REEVALUATION. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  University of South Dakota, Vermillion

  Vermillion, SD  United States  57069
• Authors:
  • Hagen, R E
• Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

• Pagination: 81 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Discriminant analysis; Driver performance; Driver training; Drivers; Driving simulators; Gender; Personnel performance
• Old TRIS Terms: Discriminate analysis
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222107
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 17 1973 12:00AM