Age, Cognitive Style, and Traffic Signs

Abstract

This study assessed the efficiency with which young and older adults of varying field dependence extract information from traffic signs. It also identified some visual attributes of signs which affect recognition time. Two experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, digitized signs, embedded in rural and urban backgrounds, were presented on a computer monitor. Subjects indicated on which side a target sign had appeared. Analysis showed that recognition times were dependent on age and field-dependence scores. Also, visual backgrounds and spatial frequency of pictographs affected RTs. In Exp. 2, recognition RT to 2 signs with redesigned pictographs was measured as well as time taken to detect signs. The signs showing reduced spatial frequency were the fastest to recognize, although no effect was noticed during detection. The subjects who showed the worst performance when facing the original signs benefitted the most from the modifications.

I See What You Don't See

“…Harano (1970) even illustrated that FDI was significantly related to a car driver's likelihood for accident involvement. Related to that, Lambert and Fleury (1994) demonstrated that FI individuals have faster reaction times to traffic signs.…”

Environment as ‘Brain Training’: A review of geographical and physical environmental influences on cognitive ageing

“…So, complex perceptual stimulation may become overwhelming for people with reduced spatial abilities. Evidence for this comes from studies on driving skills in relation to visual clutter (Ho et al, 2001;McPhee et al, 2004) and visual complexity in the surrounding environment (Cantin et al, 2009;Keay et al, 2009;Lambert and Fleury, 1994): Older adults tend in fact to be slower and less accurate in searching road signs in traffic scenes with high clutter, measured as the number of objects in the visual field (McPhee et al, 2004), and to have increased cognitive workload in complex driving contexts, e.g. overtaking manoeuvres (Cantin et al, 2009).…”

Eye-Tracking Evaluation of Exit Advance Guide Signs in Highway Tunnels in Familiar and Unfamiliar Drivers

“…Traffic signs are essential components of the traffic control plan. They offer drivers necessary information on upcoming situations [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], thus playing a key role in highway safety. Highway construction is extending to western mountains areas in China, so the number of tunnels is increasing.…”