COGNITIVE DISTRACTION

Cognitive Distraction: Use of mobile phone while driving

[Name of the Institute]

Table of Contents

Introduction3

Cognitive Psychology3

Driver Distraction4

Visual Distractions4

Manual Distractions5

Cognitive Distractions5

Role of the Brain under Visual Distraction6

Psychological adaptability and Cognitive Demand7

Adaptive behavior in managing cognitive demand9

Are Drivers Able to Reduce Their Own Risk?10

Possible Preventions11

Cognitive Distraction: Use of mobile phone while driving

Introduction

Various researches have shown that use of cell phone while driving a vehicle can distract a driver's ability to control the vehicle. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in the U.S., accidents related to distraction accounts for 13 to 50 percent of all crashes and result in as many as 10,000 deaths each year. There may be a number of causes of driver's distraction and cell phone use accounts for an immense fraction of such cases. The number of cell phone users has increased since then, and cell phone, considered as a luxury once, has now become a necessity. Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) reposted that number of cell phone user is significantly increasing over the years. Several countries of the world are revising their traffic laws keeping in view the unavoidable influence of technology over people. Several states of the Unites States put up hefty tickets over cell phone usage, while driving, while, others are making their efforts avoiding driver's distraction that results in jeopardizing life of other, as well as of their own. In this paper, we will understand cognitive psychology and its implications over the study of human mentality. We will discuss the concept of cognitive distractions that could affect human performance and behavior in an environment, relate it to our topic of distraction associated with the use of cell phone while driving, and finding solutions for such concerns.

Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology which refers to the exploration of internal mental and psychological processes of a human. It studies how people think, perceive, remember, speak and solve their day to day problems. This branch of psychology differs from other psychological sources in two distinctive ways. First, in contrast with approaches such as Freudian psychology, cognitive psychology encourages the use of empirical methods and does not consider introspection as an applicable process of investigation. Secondly, the existence of internal cognitive states such as desire, belief, idea, motivation and knowledge, is clearly anticipated by cognitive psychology (Sternberg, Mio, 2008).

The study, previously criticized of its empiricism, considered as incompatible with the reception of internal mental state. However, a study related to cognitive neuroscience provided significant proof of psychological brain states that directly relates to mental state of a person, thus pioneering the basic assumption of cognitive psychology. Cognitivism is a school of thought that arises from this study and focuses on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This study is a combination of behavioral and cognitive psychology and can be used in treating mental patients.

Driver Distraction

Driver distraction, defined as a diversion of attention away from activities critical for safe driving toward a competing activity (Regan, & Young, 2009). Three types of distraction commonly associated with modern in-vehicle devices; ...