VERBAL RESPONSE TIMES TO DIRECTIONAL TRAFFIC SIGNS EMBEDDED IN PHOTOGRAPHIC STREET SCENES

Response times to left and right directional street signs, embedded in photographic street scenes, were measured. Department of Transportation directional signs were photographically inserted on both the left and right side of the road. Both permissive and prohibitive street signs were used. The effect of field dependence, sex, street scene background complexity, and sign type were of interest. The street scene stimuli were presented briefly (180 ms) using a tachistoscope; subjects' verbal response times were measured. Mean response times for men and women did not differ significantly. Field dependence was significantly correlated with response time. Response times increased significantly as the street scene background was made more complex. Prohibitive word signs resulted in the fastest response times.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1329271
• Corporate Authors:

  Human Factors Society

  Johns Hopkins University Press
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21218
• Authors:
  • SHOPTAUGH, C F
  • WHITAKER, L A
• Publication Date: 1984-4

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 235-244
• Serial:
  • Human Factors
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0018-7208
  • EISSN: 1547-8181
  • Serial URL: http://hfs.sagepub.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ability tests; Behavior; Direction signs; Drivers; Emergency response time; Highway traffic control; Human factors engineering; Human factors engineering; Personnel; Photographs; Photography; Psychology; Reaction time; Research; Roads; Traffic control devices; Traffic signs; Visibility
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver reaction
• Old TRIS Terms: Behavioral research; Directional traffic signs; Photographic street scenes; Tachistoscopes; Verbal response times
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Society; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00391731
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 30 1985 12:00AM