Students

PSYH4440 – Psychology of Driving

2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Julia Irwin
Lecturer
Joanne Bennett
Lecturer
Ian Faulks
Lecturer
Mel Taylor
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
PSYH490 or PSHY4490 or PSYH495 or PSYH4495
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit examines driving behaviour from a human factors perspective. Many of the factors that affect safe/unsafe driving are the same as those that affect occupational safety. Human error is regarded as a contributing factor in 70-90% of accidents in all walks of life, often brought about by poor human factors design. This unit will discuss how the factors of perception, attention, distraction, memory, fatigue, risk sensitivity, experience, and drugs - both prescribed and 'recreational' can affect driving. They will be looked at within the total context of user experience, their limitations and their predispositions. In the light of these insights we will discuss how a safer system can be designed to accommodate the fallibility of its users.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate knowledge of the human factors that contribute to road crashes among different road users
  • ULO2: Apply an understanding of how human, road environment, and vehicle factors interact as they contribute to road crashes
  • ULO3: Analyse the skills of road users by distinguishing between psychomotor, perceptual, and cognitive skills; and considering the influence of drugs, developmental, attitudinal, and motivational factors on these skills
  • ULO4: Apply theoretical models to conceptualise and explain the behaviour of road users
  • ULO5: Critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques for studying road user behaviours

General Assessment Information

Attendance to all the lectures during the 4 days of the course is compulsory. In the event of unavoidable non-attendance then students must submit an “Application for Special Consideration” which requires documentation after 3 days of absence. See relevant course administrator for the appropriate form to complete (Donna Keeley).

The essay will be submitted via Turnitin link on iLearn page. Requests for extensions should be made via ask.mq.edu.au

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Seminar presentation 35% No Week 12
Essay 55% No Week 13
Online Quiz 10% No During session 2

Seminar presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 35%

 

A 20 minute talk on a pre-approved chosen topic relevant to the content of the unit.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the human factors that contribute to road crashes among different road users
  • Apply an understanding of how human, road environment, and vehicle factors interact as they contribute to road crashes
  • Analyse the skills of road users by distinguishing between psychomotor, perceptual, and cognitive skills; and considering the influence of drugs, developmental, attitudinal, and motivational factors on these skills
  • Apply theoretical models to conceptualise and explain the behaviour of road users
  • Critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques for studying road user behaviours

Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 49 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 55%

 

A 2000 word essay, either (a) comparing and contrasting two journal articles on a topic relevant to those covered in the unit, OR (b) on a topic selected by the student in consultation with the unit convener.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the human factors that contribute to road crashes among different road users
  • Apply an understanding of how human, road environment, and vehicle factors interact as they contribute to road crashes
  • Analyse the skills of road users by distinguishing between psychomotor, perceptual, and cognitive skills; and considering the influence of drugs, developmental, attitudinal, and motivational factors on these skills
  • Apply theoretical models to conceptualise and explain the behaviour of road users
  • Critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques for studying road user behaviours

Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: During session 2
Weighting: 10%

 

An online multiple choice and short-answer quiz of approximately 20 questions covering the lecture topics.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the human factors that contribute to road crashes among different road users
  • Apply an understanding of how human, road environment, and vehicle factors interact as they contribute to road crashes
  • Analyse the skills of road users by distinguishing between psychomotor, perceptual, and cognitive skills; and considering the influence of drugs, developmental, attitudinal, and motivational factors on these skills
  • Apply theoretical models to conceptualise and explain the behaviour of road users
  • Critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques for studying road user behaviours

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures will be presented on three continuous days of the unit (June 29th, June 30th and July 1st). Powerpoint slides of the lectures and any relevant additional readings will be available on the iLearn website. Recordings of Zoom lectures will be published on iLearn Echo

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

The lectures will be delivered via Zoom rather than face to face