Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 17, 2026
07:31
A Computerized Functional Skills Assessment and Training Program Targeting Technology Based Everyday Functional Skills
Published on: February 13, 2020
Can driver education be improved by computer based training of cognitive skills?
Tibor Petzoldt1, Thomas Weiß, Thomas Franke
1Technische Universität Chemnitz, Institut für Psychologie, 09107 Chemnitz, Germany. tibor.petzoldt@psychologie.tu-chemnitz.de
Accident; Analysis and Prevention
|October 13, 2012
Summary
Computer-based training (CBT) improves hazard perception in young drivers. This training helps learner drivers identify critical cues earlier, enhancing road safety skills beyond traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Traffic safety research
- Educational technology
Background:
- Younger drivers have higher accident rates, often linked to poor hazard perception.
- Traditional driver training inadequately develops essential cognitive driving skills.
- Computer-based training (CBT) offers a novel approach to enhance driver cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a CBT module targeting critical cognitive skills for novice drivers.
- To assess the effectiveness of CBT in improving hazard perception and attention to critical driving cues.
Main Methods:
- A CBT module using video scenarios and adaptive feedback was created.
- Learner drivers were assigned to CBT, paper-based training, or a control group.
- A driving simulator experiment measured responses to hazardous situations.
Main Results:
- CBT participants demonstrated significantly earlier visual attention to critical cues in simulated hazardous scenarios.
- The CBT group showed enhanced processing of relevant visual information compared to other groups.
- This suggests improved hazard perception and situational awareness.
Conclusions:
- Computer-based training (CBT) is a promising tool for teaching essential cognitive skills for safe driving.
- CBT can effectively supplement existing driver education programs.
- Targeting cognitive skills through technology can improve driver safety outcomes.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Information Processing Approach
The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
01:20Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
Cognitive psychology is the field of psychology dedicated to examining how people think. It attempts to explain how and why we think the way we do by studying the interactions among human thinking, emotion, creativity, language, and problem-solving, as well as other cognitive processes. Cognitive psychology studies how information is processed and manipulated in remembering, thinking, and knowing.
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
This field emerged in the mid-20th century, following a period dominated by behaviorism, which...
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
01:21Cognitive Learning
Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...
01:30Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists
Cognitive enhancers, also known as "smart drugs," are substances used to enhance memory, mental alertness, and concentration. These can be natural or synthetic and improve cognition in conditions like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Some common examples include caffeine, amphetamines, methylphenidate, modafinil, arecoline, donepezil, vortioxetine, and piracetam. These enhancers work on the principle of synaptic plasticity and altered circuit function. They...
01:17Cognitivism
Cognitive psychology emerged as a significant field in the mid-20th century. It focused on understanding humans' internal mental processes. This approach emphasizes how people perceive, remember, think, and solve problems—elements critical to human cognition.
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process information is...