Driver Psychology & Behavior Flashcards
7 cards from real CDT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Driver Psychology & Behavior flashcards as text
A student consistently underestimates following distances. Which perceptual factor is MOST likely responsible?
Answer: Speed misjudgment due to relative motion perception
Relative motion perception can cause drivers to misjudge closing speeds and distances, particularly on highways where surrounding objects move at similar speeds.
What does 'situational awareness' mean in the context of safe driving?
Answer: The ability to perceive, understand, and anticipate events in the driving environment
Situational awareness involves continuously monitoring the environment, interpreting hazards, and predicting future events to make proactive driving decisions.
Research shows that the cognitive and reaction-time impairment caused by driver fatigue is comparable to which blood alcohol concentration level?
Answer: 0.08% BAC
Studies have shown that 17–19 hours without sleep produces impairment equivalent to a 0.08% BAC, the legal limit in most US states.
When a student driver displays learned helplessness—giving up quickly and believing improvement is impossible—the trainer should:
Answer: Structure small achievable tasks to rebuild the student's confidence and sense of control
Structuring early successes helps break the cycle of learned helplessness by demonstrating to the student that effort leads to improvement.
Which communication style is MOST effective when delivering corrective feedback to a nervous or anxious student driver?
Answer: Calm, specific, and solution-focused with actionable guidance
Calm, specific, solution-focused feedback reduces anxiety, clearly identifies the problem, and gives the student a concrete path to improvement.
'Transfer of training' in driver education most accurately refers to:
Answer: The application of skills learned during training to real-world driving situations
Transfer of training is the degree to which knowledge and skills acquired in a training environment are successfully applied in actual driving conditions.
Which factor MOST strongly predicts long-term safe driving behavior in newly licensed drivers?
Answer: The quality and supervision level of early real-world driving experience
Research consistently shows that high-quality, well-supervised practice driving during the learner phase is the strongest predictor of future safe driving.