| Copyright (c) 2008 SharpBrains | | | | of view." The useful field of view is a measure of |
| Last month, at an MIT Northern California event, we | | | | processing speed and visual attention that is critical for |
| discussed what specific applications might take | | | | driving performance, and one of the areas that |
| computer-based brain training to a new level, and | | | | declines with age. It has previously been shown that |
| highlighted the potential to test and improve Driving | | | | this skill can be improved with training, so we wanted |
| Skills. | | | | to see what effect it would have on the driving |
| Assessing and improving driving skills would be a top | | | | performance of older adults, and whether the training |
| candidate, given both the well-defined nature of the | | | | would be more or less effective than a traditional |
| need and the appearance of programs with growing | | | | driving simulation course. |
| evidence (both scientific and real-world) behind. | | | | - For the study, we divided forty-eight adults over |
| Along these lines, the New York Times just published | | | | fifty-five years old into two intervention groups of |
| an article, titled "Are You a Good Driver? Here's How | | | | twenty-four people each. Each group received twenty |
| to Find Out". A few quotes: | | | | hours of training. One group was exposed to a |
| - "COULD a video game make you a better driver? | | | | traditional driving simulator, where they learned specific |
| More important, could computer software prevent | | | | driving behaviours. The other one went through the |
| teenagers from making fatal mistakes or even weed | | | | cognitive training program. |
| out older drivers whose debilities make them | | | | - Both groups' driving performance improved right after |
| crash-prone?" | | | | their respective programs, but most benefits of the |
| - "There are already programs like AAA's Roadwise | | | | driving simulator disappeared by month eighteen. |
| Review (about $15), which is intended to help older | | | | - The speed-of-processing intervention helped |
| people evaluate their driving." | | | | participants not only improve "useful field of view," the |
| - "There are other programs that will test mental agility | | | | skill that was directly trained, but it also transferred into |
| and then use subsequent computer training sessions to | | | | real-life driving, and the results were sustained after 18 |
| improve a driver's skills. One such program is an online | | | | months. And, by the way, the evaluation was as real |
| application called DriveFit ($89), which was developed | | | | as one can imagine: a 14-mile open road evaluation. |
| by CogniFit, an Israeli company specializing in cognitive | | | | - Faster speed-of-processing seemed to enable adults |
| training software. DriveFit uses visual and memory | | | | to react better to unexpected events that require a |
| tests to measure 12 driving-related cognitive abilities." | | | | fast response and to reduce by 40% the number of |
| A question we often get when talking with insurance | | | | dangerous manoeuvres on real roads (defined as |
| companies, "So, can we really train drivers to act | | | | those that required the training instructor to intervene |
| smarter behind the wheel"? Well, it depends of what | | | | during the evaluation)." |
| "smarter" means (we are not aware of brain training | | | | Note: the program used in that study, called Visual |
| programs to make drivers avoid alcohol, or | | | | Awareness, was recently acquired by Posit Science |
| sleep-inducing medicaments, before driving), but there is | | | | Corporation. |
| growing evidence that specific cognitive skills that are | | | | In short, more likely than not, I'd reply YES to the |
| important for driving can, indeed, be trained, resulting in | | | | question used to open the New York Times article. A |
| better driving outcomes. | | | | well-designed video game CAN make one a better |
| A key research reference: the published studies by Dr. | | | | driver. |
| Karlene Ball and Dr. Jerri Edwards. We had the fortune | | | | Of course, this is an emerging field, and much more |
| to interview Dr. Edwards recently, and this is what she | | | | research needs to be done before applications |
| had to say when I asked her to explain the results of | | | | become mainstream, but the field certainly deserves |
| their 2003 Human Factors paper (Roenker, D., Cissell, | | | | more attention, research dollars, and engagement by |
| G., Ball, K., Wadley, V., & Edwards, J. (2003). Speed of | | | | insurance companies to design and conduct real-world |
| processing and driving simulator training result in | | | | trials. |
| improved driving performance. Human Factors, 45: | | | | Allstate: what about spending just a fraction of your |
| 218-233): | | | | scary ad campaign ad campaign budget in exploring |
| - "Our goal was to train what is called the "useful field | | | | additional potential solutions? |