TY - JOUR
T1 - The relation between driving errors and executive functioning in intellectually able young novice drivers with autism
AU - Ross, Veerle
AU - Jongen, Ellen M. M.
AU - Brijs, Kris
AU - Vanroelen, Giovanni
AU - Beelen, Caroline
AU - Maltagliati, Irene
AU - van Beers, Martijn
AU - Ruiter, Robert A. C.
AU - Brijs, Tom
AU - Alhajyaseen, Wael
AU - Soliman, Abdrabo
AU - Wets, Geert
AU - Vanvuchelen, Marleen
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Weixin Wang for programming the scenario, and Dirk Roox and Marc Geraerts for the technical support. Moreover, we would like to thank Peter Vermeulen for his support and advice regarding the interpretation of results related to context blindness. This study was approved by the ethical committees of Hasselt University and the Catholic University of Leuven (reference number ML10787).
Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Belgian Marguerite-Marie Delacroix support fund (GV/B-226).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/5
Y1 - 2019/5
N2 - Driving is a complex, goal-directed task. ASD can be related to impairments in executive functioning (EF), which may interfere with driving. This study aimed to investigate (1) if 16 young novice drivers with ASD exhibited a divergent performance on EF tests compared to 18 neurotypical peers, (2) if ASD participants exhibited a divergent driving performance compared to their neurotypical peers, and (3) if differences in driving performance would be related by the performance on the EF tasks. All participants completed a driving simulator scenario and computer-task battery. Driving error classification allowed the selection of several driving measures (e.g., collisions, speeding). Three EF tasks measuring working memory (WM), attention, and response inhibition were included. Results indicated lower WM and attention performance of the ASD participants compared to the control group, whereas response inhibition was similar across groups. Furthermore, the current study demonstrated that people with ASD can be considered as capable drivers once they have learned how to drive, that it is important to take different types of hazards into account, and that EF performance is related to driving performance. This relation may be different for drivers with and without ASD. Moreover, the relation may depend on the specific EFs and driving parameters under investigation. Future research could focus on the very early phases of driving education, and include additional driving and EF measures. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
AB - Driving is a complex, goal-directed task. ASD can be related to impairments in executive functioning (EF), which may interfere with driving. This study aimed to investigate (1) if 16 young novice drivers with ASD exhibited a divergent performance on EF tests compared to 18 neurotypical peers, (2) if ASD participants exhibited a divergent driving performance compared to their neurotypical peers, and (3) if differences in driving performance would be related by the performance on the EF tasks. All participants completed a driving simulator scenario and computer-task battery. Driving error classification allowed the selection of several driving measures (e.g., collisions, speeding). Three EF tasks measuring working memory (WM), attention, and response inhibition were included. Results indicated lower WM and attention performance of the ASD participants compared to the control group, whereas response inhibition was similar across groups. Furthermore, the current study demonstrated that people with ASD can be considered as capable drivers once they have learned how to drive, that it is important to take different types of hazards into account, and that EF performance is related to driving performance. This relation may be different for drivers with and without ASD. Moreover, the relation may depend on the specific EFs and driving parameters under investigation. Future research could focus on the very early phases of driving education, and include additional driving and EF measures. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KW - Autism spectrum disorder
KW - Driving simulation
KW - Young novice drivers
KW - Driving errors
KW - Road hazards
KW - Executive functioning
KW - FIELD-OF-VIEW
KW - DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
KW - WORKING-MEMORY CAPACITY
KW - HAZARD PERCEPTION
KW - SPECTRUM DISORDER
KW - RESPONSE-INHIBITION
KW - COGNITIVE CONTROL
KW - ADULTS
KW - PERFORMANCE
KW - BEHAVIOR
U2 - 10.1016/j.trf.2019.03.003
DO - 10.1016/j.trf.2019.03.003
M3 - Article
SN - 1369-8478
VL - 63
SP - 38
EP - 54
JO - Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
JF - Transportation Research Part F-Traffic Psychology and Behaviour
ER -