Esko Lehtonen

Learning game for training child bicyclists’ situation awareness

Encouraging more children to bicycle would produce both environmental and health benefits, but bicycling accidents are a major source of injuries and fatalities among children. One reason for this may be childrens less developed hazard perception skills. We assume that childrens situation awareness could be trained with a computer based learning game, which should also improve their hazard perception skills. In this paper, we present a prototype for such a game and pilot it with 8-9year old children. The game consisted of videos filmed from a bicyclists perspective. Using a touchscreen, the players task was to point out targets early enough to gain points. The targets were either overt (other visible road users on a potentially conflicting course) or covert (occlusions, i.e. locations where other road users could suddenly emerge). If a target was missed or identified too late, the video was paused and feedback was given. The game was tested with 49 children from the 2nd grade of primary school (aged 8-9). 31 young adults (aged 22-34) played the game for comparison. The effect of the game on situation awareness was assessed with situation awareness tests in a crossover design. Similar videos were used in the tests as in the game, but instead of pointing out the targets while watching, the video was suddenly masked and participants were asked to locate all targets which had been present just before the masking, choosing among several possible locations. Their performance was analyzed using Signal Detection Theory and answer latencies. The game decreased answer latency and marginally changed response bias in a less conservative direction for both children and adults, but it did not significantly increase sensitivity for targets. Adults performed better in the tests and in the game, and it was possible to satisfactorily predict group membership based on the scores. Children found it especially difficult to find covert targets. Overall, the described version of the learning game cannot be regarded as an effective tool for situation awareness/hazard perception training, but ways to improve the game are discussed.

Situated accomplishment of well-being in interaction: A conversation-analytic study of instructor intervention, driver reflection and displays of (dis)comfort in voluntary post-licence training

Private car travel constitutes an important means of transportation for senior members of society: having access to a car is often key to gaining access to various services and activities. Among the retired population, many couples have adopted practices that promote driving performed by the husband while demoting driving performed by the wife. If the husband then ceases driving, the wife may be faced with the dilemma of having a need to drive, owning a car and holding a valid driving licence – but not having the skills and confidence to drive. Post-licence training offers a solution to such situations in providing a safe, supportive environment to practice. Nevertheless, as part of any training, drivers have to deal with various settings and situations, some of which may be emotionally intense and have adverse effects on the willingness to drive. This study takes a look at one such case, where an instructor treats a trainee driver’s conduct so problematic as to stop the dual-control car at a junction. The study examines how the participants attempt to establish, maintain and update their mutual understanding of the unfolding situation, how they produce and respond to displays of emotion, (dis)comfort in particular, and how those displays contribute to the course of the training, the ultimate goal of which is independent driving. The study thus explores how participants accomplish well-being in situ in interaction with one another. The study employs ethnomethodological conversation analysis and draws on video recordings from on-road post-licence training for older women drivers.