Document Detail


Effects of reduced contrast on the perception and control of speed when driving.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21125948     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Misperception of speed under low-contrast conditions has been identified as a possible contributor to motor vehicle crashes in fog. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the effects of reduced contrast on drivers' perception and control of speed while driving under real-world conditions. Fourteen participants drove around a 2.85 km closed road course under three visual conditions: clear view and with two levels of reduced contrast created by diffusing filters on the windscreen and side windows. Three dependent measures were obtained, without view of the speedometer, on separate laps around the road course: verbal estimates of speed; adjustment of speed to instructed levels (25 to 70 km h(-1)); and estimation of minimum stopping distance. The results showed that drivers traveled more slowly under low-contrast conditions. Reduced contrast had little or no effect on either verbal judgments of speed or estimates of minimum stopping distance. Speed adjustments were significantly slower under low-contrast than clear conditions, indicating that, contrary to studies of object motion, drivers perceived themselves to be traveling faster under conditions of reduced contrast. Under real-world driving conditions, drivers' ability to perceive and control their speed was not adversely affected by large variations in the contrast of their surroundings. These findings suggest that perceptions of self-motion and object motion involve neural processes that are differentially affected by variations in stimulus contrast as encountered in fog.
Authors:
D Alfred Owens; Joanne Wood; Trent Carberry
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Perception     Volume:  39     ISSN:  0301-0066     ISO Abbreviation:  Perception     Publication Date:  2010  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-12-03     Completed Date:  2011-01-11     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0372307     Medline TA:  Perception     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1199-215     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Whitely Psychology Laboratories, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17604-3003, USA. fowens@fandm.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Automobile Driving*
Contrast Sensitivity*
Female
Humans
Judgment
Lighting*
Male
Middle Aged
Motion Perception / physiology*
Young Adult

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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