Impairment of a speed management strategy in young drivers under high cognitive workload

BackgroundA training method known as Episodic training has shown promise in reducing speeding behavior in young drivers (Prabhakharan and Molesworth, 2011). The present study aimed to investigate how cognitive resources are utilized to implement this behavioral change.Method60 participants were randomly divided into four groups and completed a simulated training drive in Week 1 followed by a 10 km simulated test drive in Week 2. As part of the test drive, two groups were asked to complete a secondary task (mental arithmetic task) in addition to the test drive.ResultsThe results indicated that implementing a speed management strategy elicited by Episodic training was successful in isolation, but came at a cognitive trade-off when performed in conjunction with a secondary task.ConclusionFrom an applied perspective, these results suggest driver training programmes should compartmentalize driver training in order to reduce the cognitive load experienced by trainee drivers, and hence facilitate in driver skill acquisition.

► Episodic training reduces speeding behavior in young drivers in simulated environments.
► This speed management strategy is cognitively demanding to implement when performed with other cognitive tasks.
► Cognitive overload during initial driver learning may be a significant factor to young driver causalities.
► Driver training method should place a greater emphasis on a managing cognitive overload during learning phases.