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A comparison of drivers' braking responses across ages

dc.contributor.advisorDickerson, Anne Elizabethen_US
dc.contributor.authorBrown, Danielleen_US
dc.contributor.departmentOccupational Therapyen_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-01-15T12:40:05Z
dc.date.available2015-02-02T17:10:40Z
dc.date.issued2012en_US
dc.description.abstractAs driving is associated with independence, it is important for occupational therapists to understand what skills are required to drive safely and how to assess them in order to keep older drivers driving independently as long as possible. This study examined the reaction times and braking forces of younger and older adults in both simple and complex reaction situations. Results showed that all participants had an increase in reaction time with increased complexity of the situation. Although previous research has shown that reaction times slow with age, our results did not demonstrate statistically significant differences between the braking reactions of younger and older drivers. However, this study's results show that, the time difference between a brake reaction in a simple situation and one in a complex situation increases significantly with age (z = 2.364, p = 0.024). Additionally, younger and older drivers were able to consistently demonstrate application of sufficient force (e.g., 30 pounds) to control brake pedals. These findings support the concept that age related changes may influence the ability to process and react to complex stimuli.  en_US
dc.description.degreeM.S.en_US
dc.format.extent75 p.en_US
dc.format.mediumdissertations, academicen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10342/4061
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherEast Carolina Universityen_US
dc.subjectOccupational Therapyen_US
dc.subjectAgingen_US
dc.subjectDrivingen_US
dc.subjectDriving simulatoren_US
dc.subjectReaction forceen_US
dc.subjectAutomobile driving simulators
dc.subject.meshAutomobile Driving
dc.subject.meshAging--physiology
dc.subject.meshReaction Time
dc.subject.meshCognition
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshMale
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshMiddle Aged
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshOccupational Therapy--methods
dc.titleA comparison of drivers' braking responses across agesen_US
dc.typeMaster's Thesisen_US

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