Riding Along In My Automobile: Musically-Induced Emotions and Driving Behaviour

司机的情绪状态、态度和意识越来越被认为是造成严重交通事故的主要原因；这是年轻人死亡的最大原因，给他们的家庭和社区带来了复合成本。从20世纪30年代汽车音频的早期开始，司机就一直把听音乐作为刺激和分心的东西，自20世纪60年代这项技术变得更加普遍以来，音乐的使用范围更广了。很能说明问题的是，尽管目前有很多研究致力于了解一系列车内干扰，如手机和卫星导航设备，但相对缺乏有针对性的研究，研究音乐带来的情绪状态对驾驶行为和表现的影响。实验室测试发现，音乐可以干扰和塑造心理过程。值得注意的是，所讨论的效果在很大程度上取决于正在执行的任务以及执行该任务的人。在这个项目中，我们的目标是调查通过音乐诱导的情绪状态在一系列情景下对驾驶行为和性能的影响。其中一些影响可能是积极的--例如，刺激一个原本疲惫的司机--而另一些可能是消极的，例如导致分心于前面的道路。这项研究将解决一些问题：在什么驾驶条件下，音乐引发的情绪会影响表现？哪种音乐可能会影响司机、乘客和其他道路使用者的安全？音乐能以任何方式提高警觉性或提高驾驶表现吗？这种影响对年轻人和老年人、对男性和女性都是相似的吗？伦敦布鲁内尔大学与国家交通研究实验室(TRL)、保险公司Direct Line PLC和邓迪科学中心(邓迪科学节的组织者)建立了合作伙伴关系。该计划需要一系列创新的研究，旨在探索情绪和态度对司机的影响。这些研究将在一种最先进的驾驶模拟器中进行，该模拟器基于一辆改装的公路汽车。这套复杂的衡量标准包括运动传感器、眼球运动捕捉系统、大脑监测器、专家访谈和驾驶性能评估，重点是准确性、决策以及对关键和意外事件的及时反应。该团队由科斯塔斯·卡拉吉奥吉斯博士和TRL的尼克·里德教授组成。二十年来，Karageorghim领导了国际知名的研究，研究音乐在各种体育活动环境中的影响，从医疗保健到基于体操的锻炼。在开发了一种实验和理论范式来解释音乐的情感和激励力量后，Karageorgits和他的科学家同事们的目标是将这种专业知识应用于一个高度普遍的社交空间，在这个空间中，对风险的考虑是至高无上的，那就是公共道路。在这两种情况下，音乐都被用作一种分散注意力的形式，一种改善情绪的手段，以及一种刺激。Direct Line PLC和一年一度的Dundee科学中心都为该项目提供了传播机会，这将使驾驶公众参与到新发现中来。这一新颖的研究方案经过精心设计，旨在解决与驾驶心理学有关的基本问题，目的是帮助政策制定者，同时为安全指南、产品开发和驾驶员教育提供信息。音乐在拥有汽车的体验中扮演着如此无处不在的角色，特别是在年轻、正式和具有启发性的人群中，调查音乐改变驾驶行为的方式是及时的。最终目的是提高公众意识，激发辩论，促进改善道路安全，从而在预防事故及其相关伤亡方面发挥间接作用。

The emotional states, attitudes and awareness of drivers is increasingly being acknowledged as the principal cause of serious traffic accidents; the largest cause of fatality among young adults with a compound cost to their families and communities. Drivers have listened to music as stimulant and distraction since the early days of car audio in the 1930s, and more widely since the 1960s when the technology became far more widely available. It is telling that, whilst there is currently much research effort directed at understanding a range of in-car distractions such as mobile phones and sat-nav devices, there has been a relative absence of targeted research examining the effects of the emotional states brought about through music on driving behaviour and performance.Laboratory tests have found that music can interfere with and shape mental processing. Significantly, the effects in question are very much dependent on the task being performed, and the person performing it. In this project, we aim to investigate the effects of emotional states induced through music on driving behaviour and performance across a range of scenarios. Some of these effects may be positive - for instance, stimulating an otherwise tired driver - whilst others may be negative, such as causing a distraction from the road ahead. The research will address a number of questions: Under what driving conditions do musically-induced emotions influence performance? Which kinds of music are likely to impact upon the safety of drivers, passengers, and other road users? Does music improve alertness or driving performance in any way? Are such effects similar for the young and the old, and for both males and females?Brunel University London has formed a partnership with the national Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), insurers Direct Line PLC, and the Dundee Science Centre (organisers of the annual Dundee Science Festival). The programme entails an innovative sequence of studies aiming to explore the effects of emotions and attitudes on drivers. The studies will take place in a state-of-the-art driving simulator based around a modified road car. The sophisticated battery of measures includes motion sensors, an eye-movement capture system, brain monitors, expert interviews, and driving performance assessments focussing on accuracy, decision-making, and the timely response to critical and unexpected events. The team consists of Dr Costas Karageorghis alongside the TRL's Professor Nick Reed. For two decades, Karageorghis has led internationally-renowned research into the effects of music in various physical activity contexts from healthcare to gymnasia-based exercise. Having developed an experimental and theoretical paradigm to account for music's emotional and motivational power, Karageorghis and his fellow scientists aim to apply this expertise in a highly prevalent social space in which considerations of risk are paramount, that of the public road. In both contexts, music is used as a form of distraction, a means to improve emotions, and a stimulus. Both Direct Line PLC and the annual Dundee Science Centre are providing dissemination opportunities for the project, which will engage the driving public with the new findings. This novel programme of research has been meticulously designed to address fundamental questions connected to driving psychology with the aim of aiding policy makers, while feeding in to safety guidelines, product development and driver education. With music playing such a ubiquitous role in the experience of car ownership, especially among the young, formal and revealing investigation of the way that music alters driving behaviour is timely. The ultimate aim is to prime public awareness and stimulate debate, contribute towards improvements in road safety, and thus play an indirect role in preventing accidents and their associated casualties.