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Text messaging while driving increases the risk of a motor vehicle accident more than twenty-fold. The number of deadly highway accidents has spiked after decades of decline, mainly because of texting while driving. Despite this, nearly 40% of American drivers report having texted while driving and 20% of drivers report doing so regularly. Motor vehicle traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans age 16 to 25.Researchers conducted a study to investigate the extent to which driving is impaired by prolonged gazes away from the highway (as a correlate to texting while driving) for males with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Eighty 16-year-old males with a valid driver's license were recruited for the study; half had ADHD (26 diagnosed as mild, 14 diagnosed as moderate) and half did not. Each participant was asked to complete six driving tasks (eg, avoiding an object on the road, merging, making unexpected stops) using a highly realistic driving simulator that projects computer-generated, two-dimensional, 360º visuals, requiring the use of side and rearview mirrors. The baseline condition included no distraction. In the first distraction condition, participants drove while conducting a hands-free phone conversation, and in the second distraction condition they were texting while driving. Two dependent variables were assessed: (1) percentage of driving time with eyes diverted from the road, and (2) number of glances away from the road lasting longer than two seconds.Under both distraction conditions, participants with ADHD (compared to those without ADHD) demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of driving time with eyes diverted from the road, as well as a significantly higher number of prolonged glances away from the road. In addition, unsteady lane position while driving was correlated with both ADHD and texting. The researchers concluded that impairments in driving performance were due to the extreme cognitive workload of competing tasks and visual inattention.
-A proponent of the biological perspective would suggest that distracted driving should decrease with age as:

Question

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Text messaging while driving increases the risk of a motor vehicle accident more than twenty-fold.  The number of deadly highway accidents has spiked after decades of decline, mainly because of texting while driving.  Despite this, nearly 40% of American drivers report having texted while driving and 20% of drivers report doing so regularly.  Motor vehicle traffic accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans age 16 to 25.Researchers conducted a study to investigate the extent to which driving is impaired by prolonged gazes away from the highway (as a correlate to texting while driving) for males with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  Eighty 16-year-old males with a valid driver's license were recruited for the study; half had ADHD (26 diagnosed as mild, 14 diagnosed as moderate) and half did not.  Each participant was asked to complete six driving tasks (eg, avoiding an object on the road, merging, making unexpected stops) using a highly realistic driving simulator that projects computer-generated, two-dimensional, 360º visuals, requiring the use of side and rearview mirrors.  The baseline condition included no distraction.  In the first distraction condition, participants drove while conducting a hands-free phone conversation, and in the second distraction condition they were texting while driving.  Two dependent variables were assessed:  (1) percentage of driving time with eyes diverted from the road, and (2) number of glances away from the road lasting longer than two seconds.Under both distraction conditions, participants with ADHD (compared to those without ADHD) demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of driving time with eyes diverted from the road, as well as a significantly higher number of prolonged glances away from the road.  In addition, unsteady lane position while driving was correlated with both ADHD and texting.  The researchers concluded that impairments in driving performance were due to the extreme cognitive workload of competing tasks and visual inattention.
-A proponent of the biological perspective would suggest that distracted driving should decrease with age as:

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0cf6_37e8_a3bf_f5af41294cbb_MD0008_00 The prefrontal cortex, the anterior portion of the frontal lobe, regulates executive functions, including working memory, reasoning, planning, impulse inhibition, attention, making decisions, and solving problems. The prefrontal cortex is still developing during the teens and does not reach full maturity until the mid-twenties. In psychology, the biological perspective seeks to explain human behavior through understanding physical and physiological causes. This perspective suggests that human behavior and mental illness can be explained by examining the structure and function of the brain. For example, a proponent of this perspective would suggest that the impulsive behavior of teenagers is the result of an immature prefrontal cortex. (Choice B) Behaviorism, which emphasizes the role of punishment and reinforcement on shaping behavior, would suggest that a decrease in distracted driving with age is the result of punishment. (Choice C) A proponent of the biological perspective might suggest that distracted driving by teenagers, which can result in death, would be naturally selected against (not for) in the population. (Choice D) A proponent of the social cognitive perspective, which emphasizes the role of social influence on behavior, might explain behavior in terms of peer pressure. Educational objective: The biological perspective explains behavior in terms of the development, structure, and function of the brain and central nervous system. The prefrontal cortex, which controls executive functions (eg, working memory, reasoning, impulse inhibition, attention), does not reach full maturity until the mid-twenties.

Passage Text Messaging While Driving Increases the Risk of a Motor