REACTION TIME AS AN INDEX OF TRAFFIC SIGN PERCEPTION

Verbal reaction times to identify and to calssify 20 traffic sign messages were measured under three conditions - sign alone, sign plus visual loading task, and sign plus visual loading task plus visual distraction. Similar trends were found in the three experiments: reaction times were smaller for the classification task than for the identification task, smaller for warning than for regulatory signs, and smaller for verbal than for symbolic messages. Comparison of these reaction time data with on-the-road measures of legibility distance revealed significant correlations. The correlational data add credibility to laboratory measures of reaction times as valid of traffic sign perception. /Author/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1329271
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by Ministry of Transport, Canada.
• Corporate Authors:

  Human Factors Society

  Johns Hopkins University Press
  Baltimore, MD  United States  21218
• Authors:
  • Dewar, R E
  • Ells, J G
  • Mundy, G
• Publication Date: 1976-8

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 381-391
• Serial:
  • Human Factors
  • Volume: 18
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0018-7208
  • EISSN: 1547-8181
  • Serial URL: http://hfs.sagepub.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Legibility; Reaction time; Regulatory signs; Traffic signs; Visibility; Visual perception; Warning signs
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00141784
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Safety Council Safety Research Info Serv
• Contract Numbers: DOT-HS-191-3-759, DOT-HS-045-1-061, 98541
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1977 12:00AM