eprintid: 10018599
rev_number: 14
eprint_status: archive
userid: 587
dir: disk0/00/01/85/99
datestamp: 2014-06-03 11:46:13
lastmod: 2017-12-07 21:32:45
status_changed: 2014-06-03 11:46:13
type: thesis
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Simms, Barbara Ann.
title: The learner driver with spina bifida and hydrocephalus: can driving ability be predicted?
ispublished: unpub
subjects: IE
divisions: B14
keywords: Driving,Training,Spina bifida,Cognitive style,Cognitive disorders,Achievement,Aptitude,Educational assessment
note: Some content has been redacted due to third party rights or other legal issues and is labelled as such in the document.
abstract: The focus of this thesis is on the possible effects of
cognitive deficit on the acquisition of driving skills in
young people with spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBH).
The specific question addressed is whether success on the
standard Driving Test can be predicted from performance on
a battery of psychometric tests.
A review of the findings from studies on cognitive deficit
and driving and the cognitive functioning of groups with
SBH identified the areas of visual-perceptual skill,
attention and memory as being of possible relevance in the
assessment of suitability for driving. The second part of
the thesis describes the development of a battery of tests
to assess not only these skills, but also visual-motor
ability, which, from results during the early stages was
also thought to be of value in the assessment of skills for
driving.
During development of the battery, the perceptual-cognitive
tests chosen were completed by two series of SBH adults
and by four matched groups of varying ability (able-bodied, SBH, SB only and cerebral palsy). As the work progressed,
it became clear that the prediction of driving success from
cognitive tests was limited. However, the results of these
studies and a small-scale study of 14 learner drivers
during early tuition, highlighted efficient visual
disembedding and memory skills as important for learning to
drive. Of additional importance was the consistent finding
that the reasons why a person did not become a driver had
many causes, not necessarily related to cognitive
functioning. In particular, financial circumstances, the
availability of adapted cars and driving instructor
techniques were often overiding factors in determining
whether a person reached Driving Test standard or not.
No definitive answer, therefore, can be given to the
specific question addressed in this thesis - can driving
ability be predicted? It is clearly indicated, however,
that although sound perceptual-cognitive skills are a
prerequisite for learning to drive, they are not alone
sufficient to predict driving success.
date: 1991
date_type: completed
oa_status: green
thesis_class: doctoral_open
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
full_text_status: restricted
pres_type: paper
pages: 326
institution: Institute of Education, University of London
thesis_type: Doctoral
citation:        Simms, Barbara Ann.;      (1991)    The learner driver with spina bifida and hydrocephalus: can driving ability be predicted?                   Doctoral thesis , Institute of Education, University of London.     Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10018599/1/124021_Redacted.pdf
document_url: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10018599/2/124021_Original.pdf