PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS AND DRUGS

AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT PROBABILITY RISES WITH ANY MEASURABLE BLOOD ALCOHOL; YET NEITHER COMPENSATORY TRACKING NOR VISUAL SEARCH-AND-RECOGNITION, THE MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE DRIVING TASK, IS IMPAIRED BY MODERATE LEVELS OF ALCOHOL. THE PAPER PRESENTS EVIDENCE THAT THE ABILITY TO TIME-SHARE AND PROCESS INFORMATION FROM TWO OR MORE SOURCES IS IMPAIRED BY ALCOHOL. THIS ABILITY, ESSENTIAL TO THE DUAL COMPONENT DRIVING TASK, IS SUGGESTED AS THE SITE OF ALCOHOL-INDUCED DECREMENTS. STUDIES IN BOTH VISUAL AND AUDITORY MODALITIES WERE REVIEWED WHICH INDICATE THAT PERFORMANCE UNDER CONCENTRATED ATTENTION SUSTAINS NEGLIGIBLE DEFICITS UNDER ALCOHOL. PERCEPTUAL PERFORMANCE UNDER DIVIDED ATTENTION SUFFERED A LARGE DECREMENT. STUDIES FROM A DRIVING SIMULATOR OFFERED ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT DECREMENTS IN THE ABILITY TO DIVIDE ATTENTION IS A PRIME SOURCE OF ALCOHOL-DEGRADED DRIVING SKILL. SIMILAR ANALYSES OF MARIHUANA EFFECTS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED. IN CONTRAST TO ALCOHOL EFFECTS, PERFORMANCE DECREMENTS OCCURRED FOR PERCEPTUAL TASKS UNDER CONCENTRATED ATTENTION AS WELL AS UNDER DIVIDED ATTENTION. MARIHUANA-INDUCED PERCEPTUAL DEFICITS APPEAR NOT BE DEPENDENT UPON DIVERSION OF ATTENTION. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT MARIHUANA AFFECTS SENSORY PROCESSES DIRECTLY. A SERIES OF TESTS OF SIMPLE VISUAL FUNCTIONS FAILED TO REVEAL ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EFFECTS OF MARIHUANA AND ALCOHOL. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT MARIHUANA MAY PRODUCE BRIEF DROP-OUTS OF ATTENTION.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Los Angeles

  Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering
  Los Angeles, CA  United States 
• Authors:
  • Moskowitz, H
• Publication Date: 1973-3

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 114-126
• Serial:
  • Volume: 6
  • Issue Number: 2

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alcohols; Driver performance; Drivers; Drugs; Drunk driving; Highway safety; Marijuana; Personnel performance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00224558
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 23 1974 12:00AM