Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Two ways of understanding the emotional influence in traffic psychology

Dos modos de entender la influencia emocional en psicología del tráfico

  • Traffic Psicology
  • Published:
Securitas Vialis

Abstract

Emotion is an essential element in the study of driving behavior. In the field of psychology and neuro-economics we currently make a distinction between two forms of emotional modulation of behavior. On the one hand, emotion is commonly defined as a subjective reaction to the environment accompanied by a set of physiological, cognitive and behavioral changes that can modify our behavior. However there are other more subtle emotional modulations associated with the decision-making process, which need not involve conscious changes, but also guide the driver behavior. In Traffic Psychology, the distinction between these two types of emotional modulation has not received the necessary attention. This paper discusses the need to work on both emotional concepts from different perspectives in order to achieve a better understanding of driver behavior, and thus we will be able to include these emotional factors in the design of prevention programs and risk assessment .

Resumen

La emoción constituye un elemento fundamental en el estudio del comportamiento de conducción. En la actualidad desde el ámbito de la psicología y la neuro-economía se suele diferenciar dos posibles formas de modulación emocional del comportamiento. Por un lado, la emoción es comúnmente definida como una reacción subjetiva al ambiente acompañada de una serie de cambios fisiológicos, cognitivos y conductuales que pueden modificar nuestro comportamiento. Pero existe otro tipo de modulación emocional más sutil, asociada al proceso de toma de decisiones, la cual no tiene por qué conllevar cambios conscientes en el organismo y, sin embargo, también orientaría el comportamiento del conductor. En Psicología del Tráfico, la distinción entre estos dos tipos de modulación emocional no ha recibido toda la atención necesaria. En este trabajo se analiza la necesidad de estudiar ambas concepciones emocionales desde puntos de vista diferenciados, para así alcanzar una mejor comprensión del comportamiento de los conductores, y poder incluir estos factores emocionales en el diseño de programas de evaluación y prevención de riesgos.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figura 1
Figura 2
Figura 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Referencias

  1. Alonso, F., Esteban, C., Calatayud, C., Alamar, B., y Egido, A. (2006). Emociones y conducción: teoría y fundamentos. Attitudes.

  2. Anderson, J. R. (2000). Learning and memory (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bina, M., Graciano, F., & Bonino, S. (2006). Risky driving and lifestyles in adolescence. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 38, 472–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Crundall, D., Van Loon, E., & Underwood, G. (2006). Attraction and distraction of attention with roadside advertisements. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 38, 671–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes error: emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Avon.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Davidson, R. J., Ekman, P., Frijda, N. H., Goldsmith, H. H., Kagan, J., Lazarus, R., & Clark, L. A. (1994). How are emotions distinguished from moods, temperament, and other related affective constructs? The nature of emotion: Fundamental questions. In P. Ekman & R. J. Davidson (Eds.), The nature of emotion: fundamental questions, series in affective science (pp. 49–96). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  7. DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico). (2012). Campañas de divulgación. Madrid: Dirección General de Tráfico, Ministerio del Interior. Recuperado desde http://www.dgt.es/was6/portal/contenidos/visor_multimedia/#app=7f51&c92c-selectedIndex=0.

  8. Di Stasi, L. L., Álvarez-Valbuena, V., Cañas, J. J., Maldonado, A., Catena, A., Antolí, A., & Cándido, A. (2009). Risk behaviour and mental workload: multimodal assessment teniques applied to motorbike riding simulation. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 12, 361–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Di Stasi, L. L., Contreras, D., Cañas, J. J., Cándido, A., Maldonado, A., & Catena, A. (2010). The consequences of unexpected emotional sounds on driving behaviour in risky situations. Safety Science, 48(10), 1463–1468.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Domjan, M. (2009). Principios de aprendizaje y conducta (5ath ed.). Madrid: Paraninfo.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Epstein, S. (1994). Integration of the cognitive and psychodynamic unconscious. American Psychologist, 49, 709–724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Eshel, N., Nelson, E. E., Blair, J., Pine, D. S., & Ernst, M. (2007). Neural substrates of choice selection in adults and adolescents: development of the ventrolateral prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. Neuropsychologia, 45, 1270–1279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Forgas, J. P. (1995). Mood and judgment: the affect infusion model (AIM). Psychological Bulletin, 117(1), 39–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Fuller, R. (2011). Driver control theory: From task difficulty homeostasis to risk allostasis. In B. E. Porter (Ed.), Handbook of traffic psychology (pp. 13–26). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  15. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Groeger, J. A. (1997). Mood and driving: Is there an effect of affect? In T. Rothengatter & E. Carbonell Vaya (Eds.), Traffic and transport psychology: theory and application. Amsterdam: Pergamon.

    Google Scholar 

  17. James, L. (2006). Driving psychology lecture notes. Hawaii: University of Hawaii. Recuperado de www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/409a-g24-lecture-notes.htm.

  18. James, L., & Nahl, D. (2000). Road rage and aggressive driving: steering clear of highway warfare. Amherst: Prometheus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Jariot, M., & Montané, J. (2009). The attitude changing model and its application to the designing and development of training programmes to reduce risk behaviour in driving. Securitas Vialis, 3, 49–61.

    Google Scholar 

  20. King, Y., & Parker, D. (2008). Driving violations, aggression and perceived consensus. European Review of Applied Psychology, 58(1), 43–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Lang, P. J. (1994). The varieties of emotional experience: a meditation on James - Lange theory. Psychological Review, 101(2), 211–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Lang, P. J., Bradley, M. M. y Cuthbert, B. N. (2005). International affective picture system (IAPS): affective ratings of pictures and instruction manual. Technical Report A-6. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

  23. Levelt, P. B. M. (2003). Literature study of emotions in traffic; use and possibilities of an affective to traffic behavior. Leidschendam: Institute for Road Safety Research (SWOV).

    Google Scholar 

  24. Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Implications for educators (pp. 3–31). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Megías, A., Cándido, A., Catena, A., Molinero, S., & Maldonado, A. (2012) The passenger effect: Risky driving is a function of the driver-passenger emotional relationship. Accident Analysis and Prevention.

  26. Megías, A., Catena, A., Maldonado, A., & Cándido, A. (2011a). Influencia de las vallas publicitarias con contenido emocional sobre la atención y el comportamiento de riesgo durante la conducción. Presentado en el I Encuentro de Jóvenes Investigadores en Motivación y Emoción (EJIME), Madrid, España.

  27. Megías, A., Díaz, L., & Cándido, A. (2012, Mayo). Efecto de la inducción de estados de ánimo en la percepción de riesgo y toma de decisiones en conducción. Presentado en el VII Simposio Internacional de la Asociación de Motivación y Emoción. Cádiz, España.

  28. Megías, A., López-Riañez, M., Cándido, A., (2012). Conductas urgentes y evaluativas en función del nivel de riesgo en situaciones de conducción. Anales de psicología.

  29. Megías, A., Maldonado, A., Cándido, A., & Catena, A. (2011). Emotional modulation of urgent and evaluative behaviors in risky driving scenarios. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43(3), 813–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Megías, A., Maldonado, A., Catena, A., Di Stasi, L. L., Serrano, J., & Cándido, A. (2011). Modulation of attention and urgent decisions by affect-laden roadside advertisement in risky driving scenarios. Safety Science, 49(10), 1388–1393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Mesken, J. (2006). Determinants and consequences of drivers’emotions. Proefschrift Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, SWOV-Dissertatiereeks. Leidschendam: Institute for Road Safety Research (SWOV).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Mesken, J., Lajunen, T., & Summala, H. (2002). Interpersonal violations, speeding violations and their relation to accident involvement in Finland. Ergonomics, 45, 469–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Nesbit, S. M., Conger, J., & Conger, A. J. (2007). A quantitative review of the relationship between anger and aggressive driving. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, 156–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). (2009). Countermeasures that work: a highway safety countermeasure guide for state highway safety offices. Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Nygren, T. E., Isen, A. M., Taylor, P. J., & Dulin, J. (1996). The influence of positive affect on the decision rule in risk situations: focus on outcome (and especially avoidance of loss) rather than probability. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 66, 59–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. RACC. (2008). La distracción de los conductores: un riesgo no percibido. Barcelona: Fundación RACC.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Reyna, V., & Farley, F. (2006). Risk and rationality in adolescent decision making: implications for theory, practice, and public policy. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 7, 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Sánchez, S. (2011). Validación de un cuestionario breve para la evaluación del miedo a conducir en pre-conductores. Securitas Vialis, 9, 33–48.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Sánchez, S. (2012). Evaluación del miedo a conducir o amaxofobia en pre-conductores. Securitas Vialis, 11, 20–44.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Serrano, J., Di Stasi, L.L., Megías, A. y Catena, A. (2012). Affective-sound effects on driving behaviour. Transport.

  41. Simón, V. M. (1997). La participación emocional en la toma de decisiones. Psicothema, 9(2), 365–376.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Slovic, P., Finucane, M., Peters, E., & MacGregor, D. (2007). The affect heuristic. European Journal of Operational Research, 177, 1333–1352.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  43. Summala, H. (2007). Towards understanding motivational and emotional factors in driver behaviour: Comfort through satisficing. In P. Cacciabue (Ed.), Modelling driver behaviour in automotive environments: critical issues in driver interactions with intelligent transport systems (pp. 189–207). London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  44. SWOW. (2010). Negative emotions and aggression in traffic. Leidschendam, the Netherlands: Institute for Road Safety Research (SWOV). Recuperado desde http://www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheets/UK/FS_Emotions_and_traffic.pdf.

  45. Taylor, J., Deanem, F., & Podd, J. (2002). Driving-related fear: a review. Clinical Psychology Review, 22(5), 631–645.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Vila, J., Sánchez, M., Ramírez, I., Fernández, M. C., Cobos, P., Rodríguez, S., et al. (2001). The International Affective Picture System (IAPS): Spanish adaptation. Second part. Revista de Psicología General y Aplicada, 54, 635–657.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Yates, J. F., & Stone, E. R. (1992). Risk appraisal. In J. F. Yates (Ed.), Risk-taking behavior (pp. 49–85). Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Grupo de Aprendizaje, Emoción y Decisión. Centro de Investigación Mente, Cerebro y Comportamiento (CIMCYC). Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain

    Alberto Megías, Antonio Maldonado, Andrés Catena & Antonio Cándido

  2. Departamento de Psicología Experimental Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Cartuja, S/N, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Alberto Megías

Authors
  1. Alberto Megías
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Antonio Maldonado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Andrés Catena
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Antonio Cándido
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alberto Megías.

Additional information

Nota

Este trabajo ha sido financiado por la Junta de Andalucía a través del proyecto de excelencia PB09-SEJ4752 concedido a A. Cándido y por el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación a través de los proyecto PSI2009-12217 y PSI2012-39292 concedidos a A. Maldonado y A. Catena respectivamente.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Megías, A., Maldonado, A., Catena, A. et al. Two ways of understanding the emotional influence in traffic psychology. Securitas Vialis 4, 143–152 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12615-012-9064-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12615-012-9064-x

Keywords

Palabras clave

Search

Navigation