Work

A psychological predictor of elders' driving performance: social‐comparisons on the road

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Older individuals often believe they can drive better than their contemporaries. This belief is an example of downward social‐comparisons; they can be self‐enhancing tools that lead to beneficial outcomes. As predicted, we found that drivers who engaged in downward social‐comparisons were significantly less likely to have adverse driving events over time, after controlling for relevant factors (p = .02). This effect was particularly strong among women, who tend to experience more negative driving stereotypes (p = .01). The study was based on 897 interviews of 117 elder drivers, aged 70–89 years, over 2 years. Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce adverse driving events among elders could benefit from including a psychological component.

Source: Journal of Applied Social Psychology

DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2013.01035.x

Authors: Becca R. Levy, Reuben Ng, Lindsey M. Myers, Richard A. Marottoli

Institution: Yale University

Language: English

Topic: Older Adults Driving Studies

Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: Yale University, National Institute on Aging