Ongoing Research

Driver Space Preference

· Space is an important concept in driving.  We are examining how personal space extends beyond the driver to surround the vehicle -  e.g. who has greater/lesser preference, under what conditions, how does it change, what do we do when our space is violated?

 

Fan Aggression at Little League Baseball Games:

· This is an examination of the personal and situational factors that might lead some parents to be more aggressive (physical, verbal, emotional etc.) at little league games.

 

Attribution Biases and Evaluation of Other Drivers:

· We are currently examining the impact of attribution biases on how we interpret the actions of other drivers.  For example, we are attempting to find out if the actor-observer bias (in which we attribute the actions of others to internal dispositions rather than the environment because we physically see the individual more saliently than their surroundings), leads people to attribute minor mistakes to a disposition of “poor” or “bad” driver.

 

Temperament and Adoption Matching

· This is a project begun with Jere Wrightsman from CDHS.  We are interested in seeing if matching of temperament between children and potential adoptive/foster parents can impact adjustment.

 

Cross Cultural Comparison of Driving Aggression and Vengeance

· We are collecting information on US drivers concerning driving vengeance, aggression, stress etc. to compare to a similar sample of Canadian, Chinese , and Indian drivers. 

 

Fatal Vision Goggles

· Fatal Vision Goggles are goggles that simulate the motor and visual impairment while intoxicated.  I am working with some students to see if these goggles really change people’s attitudes and behavior intentions (intent to drink and drive) or they are just seen as a fun trick.

 

The Impact of Media Portrayals on Verbal Aggression

· Most examinations of television’s effect on aggression focus on physical aggression.  We are currently looking at how verbal aggression can impact subsequent acts of verbal and symbolic aggression among young adults.