Predictors of seat belt use amongst Spanish drivers

Seat belt use on Spanish urban roads is very low. Surprisingly, there is very little information to explain this low level. A number of perceptions and expectancies about seat belt use were investigated to identify factors that were able to discriminate between observed seat belt use and non-use. Seat belt use was 88% for those whose journeys included travelling on the motorway, and 35% for those travelling solely on urban roads. Unbelted drivers reported that the seat belt limited their movement and was uncomfortable significantly more often than those observed to be wearing a seat belt. Seat belt use was predicted by the type of road participants had driven on (urban or motorway), beliefs about their friends’ seat belt use, reported discomfort and the number of years driving experience. This research suggests the need for particular types of advertising campaigns paired with enforcement to increase seat belt use in order to save the lives of those travelling on Spanish roads.     

The effects of nighttime seat belt enforcement on seat belt use by tavern patrons: a preliminary analysis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of police enforcement and the use of signs and posters in promoting seat belt use by nighttime tavern patrons. Ten taverns in two cities served as sites. Data were collected on the nighttime seat belt use of tavern patrons and daytime citywide seat belt use. Results indicated that the intervention increased nighttime seat belt use by tavern patrons. Daytime seat belt use increased in one city and remained at a high level in the other following the intervention. Because previous research has shown that tavern patrons are overrepresented in the impaired driving population, and that seat belt use decreases the likelihood of serious injury or death, results of this study suggest that enforcement of seat belt use could reduce casualties resulting from impaired driving.     

Seat Belt Attitudes, Habits, and Behaviors: An Adaptive Amendment to the Fishbein Model

One hundred thirty-four introductory psychology students participatcd in a longitudinal study of seat belt usage. The model of Fishbein and Ajzen was tested, as was the construct of habit within this context. Multiple regression analyses supported the basic Fishhein and Ajzen model predictions. Attitudes and subjective norms predicted intentions, which in turn predicted behavior. Furthermore, habit predicted behavior better than intention. The following nonspurious relationships were observed in cross-lagged panel correlation tests: influence from subjective norm to intention, influence from intention to attitude, influcnce from attitude to subjective norm, influence from behavior to habit, and, of course, influence from attitude to behavior. Discussion included further consideration of the Fishbein and Ajzen model, social adaptation theory, and implications for seat belt usage.     

Spatiality of the family's inner structure: choice of seat in family therapy

Many family therapists have observed that the family's choice of seat in the family therapy session provides information concerning the inner structure of the family. The purpose of this study was to study certain aspects of this observation. The selection of seats in family therapy sessions and the mutual distances between family members were investigated for 13 families. The inner structure of the family is described in terms of the existence of problematic relationships and the distribution and quality of power as assessed by the family therapists. The family members' selection of seats in the family therapy session was compared to the sitting order at meals, watching TV at home, and family drawings. It was found that the distance between the father and the patient (a son or daughter) and the location of the father and the mother in relation to each other in the family therapy are more related to the inner structure of the family than to situational factors.     

Effects of seat position on perception of power in Chinese traditional culture

In China, some rituals show that power is represented by seat positions. The current study empirically investigated the relationship between seat position and perception of power, and the cultural differences in this relationship. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to arrange seats for people with different power. The results showed that seats for high‐power people were placed facing the door while others’ seats were placed with their backs to the door. In Experiment 2, a priming task was employed to test the link between seat position and perception of power. Results revealed that after pictures of the seat facing the door were primed, judgments for high‐power words were more accurate and faster than for low‐power words, as compared to priming with the condition of the seat with its back to the door. A Stroop task was employed in Experiment 3 to explore cultural differences. Results showed that Chinese participants judged high‐power words faster in the congruent trials than in the incongruent trials, but no such difference was found in African participants. These findings suggest that the concept of power can be partly represented by seat position in China.     

Toddlers use speech disfluencies to predict speakers' referential intentions

The ability to infer the referential intentions of speakers is a crucial part of learning a language. Previous research has uncovered various contextual and social cues that children may use to do this. Here we provide the first evidence that children also use speech disfluencies to infer speaker intention. Disfluencies (e.g. filled pauses 'uh' and 'um') occur in predictable locations, such as before infrequent or discourse-new words. We conducted an eye-tracking study to investigate whether young children can make use of this distributional information in order to predict a speaker's intended referent. Our results reveal that young children (ages 2;4 to 2;8) reliably attend to speech disfluencies early in lexical development and are able to use disfluencies in online comprehension to infer speaker intention in advance of object labeling. Our results from two groups of younger children (ages 1;8 to 2;2 and 1;4 to 1;8) suggest that this ability emerges around age 2.     

POLITICS AND THE GLASS CLIFF: EVIDENCE THAT WOMEN ARE PREFERENTIALLY SELECTED TO CONTEST HARD-TO-WIN SEATS

Recent archival and experimental research has revealed that women are more likely than men to be appointed to leadership positions when an organization is in crisis. As a result, women often confront a "glass cliff" in which their position as leader is precarious. Our first archival study examined the 2005 UK general election and found that, in the Conservative party, women contested harder to win seats than did men. Our second study experimentally investigated the selection of a candidate by 80 undergraduates in a British political science class to contest a by-election in a seat that was either safe (held by own party with a large margin) or risky (held by an opposition party with a large margin). Results indicated that a male candidate was more likely than a woman to be selected to contest a safe seat, but there was a strong preference for a female rather than a male appointment when the seat was described as hard to win. Implications for women's participation in politics are discussed.     

Psychosocial Factors in Child Safety Restraint Use1

Within the past 3 years, a majority of states have passed laws requiring children riding in automobiles to be properly restrained in safety devices. Several studies indicate that such laws have only a modest effect on the number of children being properly protected. To determine factors associated with safety restraint use a telephone interview survey was conducted with 211 residents of a state that has had a child safety restraint law in effect for two years. Several hypotheses derived from the Health Belief Model were tested. The model was generally supported, but will require some revision to explain a routine and repetitive behavior such as safety seat use. While strong general resistance to government intervention in family behavior was found, this did not translate into resistance of safety seat laws.     

An observational study of restraint and helmet wearing behaviour in Malaysia

Unrestrained and unhelmeted occupants are at increased risk of severe injury or death in the event of a crash, and there is evidence that children, particularly in low and middle income countries, have low restraint and helmet wearing rates.Roadside observations of occupants of passing vehicles (7247 cars, vans and taxis and 2897 motorcycles) in nearside lanes were made at seven selected road sites located around the Klang Valley (greater Kuala Lumpur) area representing a variety of demographic locations.The findings revealed an overall low rate of seat-belt wearing in vehicles (front seat drivers: 44.6%; front seat adult passengers: 33.8%; front seat child passengers: 11.8%; rear seat adult passengers: 5.2%; and, rear seat child passengers: 5.8%). For motorcyclists, the majority of adult riders and pillions wore helmets (93.4% and 85.8%, respectively), however a substantial proportion (40%) did not fasten their helmet properly. Of children observed on motorcycles, only 30.5% wore helmets.This study shows low seat-belt and helmet wearing rates, despite enactment of legislation that requires all vehicle passengers to be restrained and for all motorcyclists to wear helmets. This was particularly evident for children (front and rear seating positions) and rear seat adult passengers. It is suggested there is a general lack of awareness of safety and the benefits of restraint/helmet use, and lack of adequate and appropriate enforcement. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of promoting restraint/helmets use, enforcement of legislation and implementation of technologies to increase appropriate restraint/helmet use.     

Protection and vulnerability processes relevant for early onset of substance use: a test among African American children.

This research tested predictions from a self-regulation model of factors relevant for early onset of tobacco and alcohol use with a community sample of 889 African American children (mean age = 10.5 years). Criterion variables were peer substance use, willingness to use substances, and resistance efficacy (intention to refuse substance offers). Structural modeling indicated effects of temperament dimensions were mediated through self-control and risk-taking constructs, which were related to school involvement, life events, and perceived vulnerability to harmful effects of substances. Peer use was predicted by life events, poor self-control, and parent-child conflict; willingness was predicted by life events, risk taking, and (inversely) parental support; and resistance efficacy was predicted by perceived vulnerability and (inversely) poor self-control. Findings are discussed with reference to theoretical models of early protection and vulnerability processes.     

Cognitive and affective predictors of academic achievement in schoolchildren

The ability of the theory of planned behaviour to predict objectively measured outcomes was tested in school‐age children. Study 1 (N=71) showed that the theory of planned behaviour accounted for significant proportions of the variance in intention and that the intentions predicted scores in a science test; study 2 (N=175) replicated these effects across a broader range of subjects. In addition, study 2 explored the mechanism by which intention was translated into action and demonstrated that intention stability moderated the intention‐academic achievement relationship. Moreover, controlling for a range of cognitive and affective variables, intention and positive affect were independent predictors of intention stability. These findings suggest that although positive affect did not influence intention directly, it did influence intention stability, the mechanism by which intentions are translated into action. Future educational interventions should therefore influence both cognitive and affective factors to promote sustained motivation.     

The dynamics of intention retrieval and coordination of action in event-based prospective memory

Event-based prospective memory requires responding to cues in the environment that are associated with a previously established intention. Some researchers believe that intentions reside in memory with an above baseline level of activation, a phenomenon called the intention superiority effect. The authors of this study predicted that intention superiority would be masked by additional cognitive processes associated with successful event-based prospective memory. These additional processes include noticing the cue, retrieving the intention, and coordinating intention execution with the ongoing activity. In 3 experiments, intention superiority was demonstrated by faster latencies to the ongoing activity on failed prospective trials and the existence of the additional processes was demonstrated by slower latencies on successful trials. This study demonstrates the importance of investigating the microstructure of the cognitive components involved with processing and responding to an event-based prospective memory cue.     

Theory of Planned Behaviour, Skin Care and Pressure Sores Following Spinal Cord Injury

Objectives: To use the Theory of Planned Behaviour to explore factors associated with performing skin care behaviors and the occurrence of pressure sores in people with spinal cord injury. Design: A within-group cross-sectional design was used to assess 59 people with spinal cord injury living in the community. Of these, 17 participants returned a repeat assessment allowing a longitudinal examination of the relationship between intention and actual behaviour. Methods: A measure was developed in accordance with the Theory of Planned Behaviour guidelines through interviews with people with spinal cord injury. Measures of mood and knowledge of skin care behaviour were also included. Results: The Theory of Planned Behaviour components, mood and knowledge of skin behaviours predicted intention, skin care behaviour and occurrence of pressure sores. Knowledge of skin care was negatively correlated with occurrence of pressure sores (r=−.38, p < .01). Indirect perceived control was a particularly important predictor of pressure relief, accounting for 24% of the variance. Conclusions: Psychosocial factors, including the Theory of Planned Behaviour components, predicted skin care behaviours and the occurrence of pressure sores. These findings provide empirical support for the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The study also carries clinical implications for skin care education for people with SCI and their families.     

PROMOTING LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR CHILD PROTECTION: A COMMUNITY ANALYSIS

The Colorado Occupant Protection Project (COPP) intervention provided police with brief instruction concerning the importance of citations for drivers' failure to use child safety seats and special coupons to accompany citations. Coupons were exchangeable by drivers for a safety seat and brief training in its use, plus a waiver of the $50 citation fine. Over 4.5 years of archival records were employed, using an ABA design and a comparison community to evaluate the program. Few tickets were issued for nonuse of safety seats during the 3-year baseline in either community. Citations for nonuse of safety seats increased to over 50 per month during the intervention period at the test site, whereas rates remained essentially zero at the comparison site. After the COPP intervention was removed at the intervention site, citation rates for nonuse of safety seats decreased to about 15 per month. Differences between intervention conditions and settings were statistically significant. During the intervention, officers were 44 times more likely to write citations than were controls. Results suggested that a behavioral program can increase police citation writing for child protection purposes.     

Auditory temporal processing deficits in children with periventricular brain injury

The present study investigated whether auditory temporal processing deficits are related to the presence and/or the severity of periventricular brain injury and the reading difficulties experienced by extremely low birthweight (ELBW: birthweight <1000 g) children. Results indicate that ELBW children with mild or severe brain lesions obtained significantly lower scores on a test requiring auditory temporal order judgments than ELBW children without periventricular brain injury or children who were full-term. Structural equation modeling indicated that a model in which auditory temporal processing deficits predicted speech sound discrimination and phonological processing ability provided a better fit for the data than did a second model, which hypothesized that auditory temporal processing deficits are associated with poor reading abilities through a working memory deficit. These findings suggest that an impairment in auditory temporal processing may contribute to the reading difficulties experienced by ELBW children.     

Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index Factors Predict Unique Variance in DSM‐IV Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is an established cognitive risk factor for anxiety disorders. In children and adolescents, AS is usually measured with the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI). Factor analytic studies suggest that the CASI is comprised of 3 lower‐order factors pertaining to Physical, Psychological and Social Concerns. There has been little research on the validity of these lower‐order factors. We examined the concurrent and incremental validity of the CASI and its lower‐order factors in a non‐clinical sample of 349 children and adolescents. CASI scores predicted symptoms of DSM‐IV anxiety disorder subtypes as measured by the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS) after accounting for variance due to State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory scores. CASI Physical Concerns scores incrementally predicted scores on each of the SCAS scales, whereas scores on the Social and Psychological Concerns subscales incrementally predicted scores on conceptually related symptom scales (e.g. CASI Social Concerns scores predicted Social Phobia symptoms). Overall, this study demonstrates that there is added value in measuring AS factors in children and adolescents.     

Predicting students’ intention to smoke by theory of planned behaviour variables and parental influences across school grade levels

Differences were examined in Theory of Planned Behaviour determinants of students’ intention to smoke including parents’ attitudes towards smoking and parents’ current cigarette use among Greek students of different school grade levels. Students (N?=?763) aged 10–18 years reported their attitudes towards smoking, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, self-identity and intention to smoke while their parents (N?=?525) reported their attitudes towards smoking and their current cigarette use. All the TPB variables increased from lower to higher school grade level. Multi-sample path analyses showed that parent's attitudes towards smoking positively predicted students’ intention to smoke only for elementary school children. Parents’ current cigarette use did not contribute significantly. Students’ attitudes, perceived behavioural control and self-identity predicted systematically intention to smoke in contrast to the subjective norm that did not contribute at all. Perceived behavioural control contributed to a higher degree in intention to smoke for senior high school students compared to the junior high school and elementary students. Self-identity contributed to a higher degree in intention to smoke for elementary compared to the junior high school students. The results of this study suggests that the determinants of smoking vary between early and late adolescence.     

Passengers’ acceptance and perceptions of risk while riding in an automated vehicle on open,public roads

Automated vehicles are an emerging technology that operate with differing levels of automatic control (SAE levels). The current study explored participants’ acceptance of a conditional (Level 3) automated vehicle (AV) before and after riding as a passenger for 10 min on open, public roads in uncontrolled traffic. Additionally, participants were asked to rate the riskiness (perceived risk) of a variety of vehicle maneuvers, such as turning, accelerating, and braking when approaching an intersection. We predicted that participants would report higher acceptance ratings and lower perceived risk ratings after experiencing the AV compared to pre-trip ratings. Further, we predicted that participants riding in the front-passenger seat would report higher ratings for risk compared to participants sitting in the rear-passenger or rear-driver seats. Sixty participants from South-East Queensland, Australia (aged 21–82 years; M_age = 45.78; 23 female) took part in the study. Compared to pre-trip responses, participants reported statistically higher ratings for acceptance, as well as statistically lower ratings for perceived risk with respect to specific vehicle maneuvers performed while in automated mode. Differences were detected between seats for perceived risk, but these results were less clear. Increases in acceptance and decreases in risk were also detected as the number of false hazards detected by the vehicle increased. Overall, these findings suggest that acceptance towards AVs may increase, and expectations of risk related to AV maneuvers may decrease, after participants have experienced the vehicles firsthand, on an open, public road in an uncontrolled traffic environment.     

Active prompting to decrease cell phone use and increase seat belt use while driving

Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for those aged 3 to 33, with 43,005 (118 per day) Americans killed in 2002 alone. Seat belt use reduces the risk of serious injury in an accident, and refraining from using a cell phone while driving reduces the risk of an accident. Cell phone use while driving increases accident rates, and leads to 2,600 U.S. fatalities each year. An active prompting procedure was employed to increase seat belt use and decrease cell phone use among drivers exiting a university parking lot. A multiple baseline with reversal design was used to evaluate the presentation of two signs: "Please Hang Up, I Care" and "Please Buckle Up, I Care." The proportion of drivers who complied with the seat belt prompt was high and in line with previous research. The proportion of drivers who hung up their cell phones in response to the prompt was about equal to that of the seat belt prompt. A procedure that reduces cell phone use among automobile drivers is a significant contribution to the behavioral safety literature.