The Drives for Driving Simulation: A Scientometric Analysis and a Selective Review of Reviews on Simulated Driving Research

Driving behaviors and fitness to drive have been assessed over time using different tools: standardized neuropsychological, on-road and driving simulation testing. Nowadays, the great variability of topics related to driving simulation has elicited a high number of reviews. The present work aims to perform a scientometric analysis on driving simulation reviews and to propose a selective review of reviews focusing on relevant aspects related to validity and fidelity. A scientometric analysis of driving simulation reviews published from 1988 to 2019 was conducted. Bibliographic data from 298 reviews were extracted from Scopus and WoS. Performance analysis was conducted to investigate most prolific Countries, Journals, Institutes and Authors. A cluster analysis on authors' keywords was performed to identify relevant associations between different research topics. Based on the reviews extracted from cluster analysis, a selective review of reviews was conducted to answer questions regarding validity, fidelity and critical issues. United States and Germany are the first two Countries for number of driving simulation reviews. United States is the leading Country with 5 Institutes in the top-ten. Top Authors wrote from 3 to 7 reviews each and belong to Institutes located in North America and Europe. Cluster analysis identified three clusters and eight keywords. The selective review of reviews showed a substantial agreement for supporting validity of driving simulation with respect to neuropsychological and on-road testing, while for fidelity with respect to real-world driving experience a blurred representation emerged. The most relevant critical issues were the a) lack of a common set of standards, b) phenomenon of simulation sickness, c) need for psychometric properties, lack of studies investigating d) predictive validity with respect to collision rates and e) ecological validity. Driving simulation represents a cross-cutting topic in scientific literature on driving, and there are several evidences for considering it as a valid alternative to neuropsychological and on-road testing. Further research efforts could be aimed at establishing a consensus statement for protocols assessing fitness to drive, in order to (a) use standardized systems, (b) compare systematically driving simulators with regard to their validity and fidelity, and (c) employ shared criteria for conducting studies in a given sub-topic.

Long-Term Exposure to Greenspace and Cognitive Function during the Lifespan: A Systematic Review

Recent advances in environmental psychology highlighted the beneficial role of greenspace exposure on cognition. We conducted a systematic review of the available studies on the association of long-term exposure to greenspace and cognitive functions across the lifespan. PRISMA guidelines and the PECOs method were applied to screen for eligible studies. Twenty-five studies from Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO met the inclusion criteria. Six studies were longitudinal and nineteen cross-sectional. Fifteen studies focused on schoolchildren, six studies on adults, and four on the elderly. Twenty studies used the NDVI to assess greenspace exposure and the remaining used other indexes. Eight studies employed academic achievement as the outcome, eight studies global cognition, six studies attention/executive functions, and three studies memory. The evidence was inconsistent but suggestive for a beneficial role of greenspace exposure on cognitive functions. Further studies are required, especially among adults and older people, by adopting longitudinal designs.

Variations in mindfulness associated with the COVID-19 outbreak: Differential effects on cognitive failures, intrusive thoughts and rumination

The lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak in 2019 (COVID-19) has caused psychological distress and cognitive discomfort for emerging adults, who have experienced increased rumination, intrusive thoughts and cognitive failures. States of mindfulness and being in the moment can prevent anxiety and fear associated with the lockdown and alleviate ruminative and automatic negative thinking. This longitudinal study investigated the role of mindfulness before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in protecting a sample of emerging adults from experiencing cognitive failures, intrusive thoughts and rumination and examined how lockdown-related variables-emotions, socio-economic status and housing conditions-influenced this mindfulness profile. The results showed overall more cognitive failures and rumination during lockdown, especially in participants whose mindfulness status diminished. However, these signs of cognitive distress remained stable or decreased among participants who reported improved changes in mindfulness. Financial difficulties and a reduced sense of privacy associated with the lockdown predicted lower stability in mindfulness profiles. The state of being fully aware of what is happening in the present moment may be helpful in reducing cognitive discomfort and psychological maladjustment, especially during stressful times such as lockdowns.

Cognitive Efficiency and Fitness-to-Drive along the Lifespan: The Mediation Effect of Visuospatial Transformations

The way people represent and transform visuospatial information affects everyday activities including driving behavior. Mental rotation and perspective taking have recently been found to predict cognitive prerequisites for fitness-to-drive (FtD). We argue that the relationship between general cognitive status and FtD is mediated by spatial transformation skills. Here, we investigated the performance in the Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and the Perspective-Taking Test (PT) of 175 male active drivers (aged from 18 to 91 years), by administering the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to measure their global cognitive functioning. All participants were submitted to a computerized driving assessment measuring resilience of attention (DT), reaction speed (RS), motor speed (MS), and perceptual speed (ATAVT). Significant results were found for the effect of global cognitive functioning on perceptual speed through the full mediation of both mental rotation and perspective-taking skills. The indirect effect of global cognitive functioning through mental rotation was only found to significantly predict resilience of attention whereas the indirect effect mediated by perspective taking only was found to significantly predict perceptual speed. Finally, the negative effect of age was found on each driving measure. Results presented here, which are limited to male drivers, suggest that general cognitive efficiency is linked to spatial mental transformation skills and, in turn, to driving-related cognitive tasks, contributing to fitness-to-drive in the lifespan.

Experimental Examination and Social Validation of a Microswitch Intervention to Improve Choice-Making and Activity Engagement for Six Girls with Rett Syndrome

Background: The use of assistive technology, specifically microswitches, with children with RTT has been shown to effectively moderate the impact of their disability on their quality of life^- by facilitating access to meaningful leisure and other activities. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a microswitch intervention on increased choice making, engagement in a targeted sorting activity, and indices of happiness, and decreased stereotypic behaviors for six girls with Rett syndrome. Targeted dependent variables were also assessed at six months post-intervention. Following the intervention study, 90 external raters completed a social validation procedure. Method: An ABABAB experimental sequence was implemented for each participant with a cross-over effect. A social validation assessment involving 90 external raters was carried out. Results: Data emphasized an improved performance for each participants involved (i.e., adaptive responses). Five participants showed a capacity of independent choice. One participant seemed to be closely linked to the position of the container. Social raters favorably endorsed the use of the program since they positively evaluated the use of the technology on all the dimensions investigated. Conclusion: A microswitch intervention may improve choice making and activity engagement for children with Rett syndrome. Further research is needed on the development of more sophisticated forms of individualized technological options to improve opportunities for enhanced engagement and choice-making for individuals with RTT.

Spatial Mental Transformation Skills Discriminate Fitness to Drive in Young and Old Adults

Literature on driving research suggests a relationship between cognition and driving performance in older and younger drivers. There is little research on adults and driving, despite them being the largest age cohort behind the wheel. Among the cognitive domains, visuospatial abilities are expected to be highly predictive of driving skills and driving fitness. The relationship between specific spatial mental transformation skills (i.e., object and self-based ones) and driving performance has not yet been examined. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between overall cognitive functioning, self and object-based spatial mental transformation skills, and driving performance in a sample of younger and older adult drivers. Participants were comprised of one hundred younger and 83 older adult Italian drivers. Participants completed a computerized driving test assessing traffic stress resilience, visual and motor reaction time, and the ability to obtain an overview of the traffic scenario (DT, vRT, mRT, and ATAV respectively in the Shufried®-Vienna Test System-DRIVESC). The Mental Rotation Test (MRT) and the Object Perspective Taking Test (OPT) were administered in order to assess object-based and self-based spatial mental transformation skills. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA) was administered control for global cognitive functioning. The effects of education and gender were also controlled in the analysis. The results of the present study suggested that: (1) The effect of age, favoring younger participants, was found in DT, vRT, mRT, and ATAVT tests. (2) The effect of global cognitive functioning was found in DT and ATAV tests. (3) The effect of the spatial mental transformation tests was found in DT, vRT (MRT only), and ATAVT (OPT only) tests. Taken together, these results suggest the specific contribution of spatial mental transformation skills in the execution of complex behaviors connected to the fitness to drive. Prospectively, the results of the present study relating spatial mental transformation skills and driving processes may be a valuable source of knowledge for researchers dealing with the relationship between cognitive resources and navigation aids.

The Road More Travelled: The Differential Effects of Spatial Experience in Young and Elderly Participants

Our spatial mental representations allow us to give refined descriptions of the environment in terms of the relative locations and distances between objects and landmarks. In this study, we investigated the effects of familiarity with the everyday environment, in terms of frequency of exploration and mode of transportation, on categorical and coordinate spatial relations, on young and elderly participants, controlling for socio-demographic factors. Participants were tested with a general anamnesis, a neuropsychological assessment, measures of explorations and the Landmark Positioning on a Map task. The results showed: (a) a modest difference in performance with categorical spatial relations; (b) a larger difference in coordinate spatial relations; (c) a significant moderating effect of age on the relationship between familiarity and spatial relations, with a stronger relation among the elderly than the young. Ceteris paribus, the role of direct experience with exploring their hometown on spatial mental representations appeared to be more important in the elderly than in the young. This advantage appears to make the elderly wiser and likely protects them from the detrimental effects of aging on spatial mental representations.

The Prevalence of Amnestic and Non-Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Its Association with Different Lifestyle Factors in a South Italian Elderly Population

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a transition stage between normal aging and dementia and can be useful to monitor the cognitive status of people at risk of dementias. Our aims were to investigate the prevalence of amnestic and non-amnestic MCI in a South Italian elderly population, and to identify socio-demographic, clinical and lifestyle factors associated with MCI. A cross-sectional retrospective population study on 839 community-dwelling participants over 60 years of age was carried out. Elderly people were administered a brief neuropsychological screening to identify their cognitive and functional status, and a questionnaire to investigate several socio-demographic, clinical, and lifestyle factors. Prevalence estimate for MCI was 12.0% (95% CI: 10.0-14.5%), for amnestic MCI was 7.4% (95% CI: 5.8-9.4%), and for non-amnestic MCI was 4.6% (95% CI: 3.4-6.4%), for people older than 60 years of age. Logistic regression models, corrected for age, sex, and education, revealed a significant association of MCI with the following factors: age, education, intellectual activities, and topographical disorientation. On the other hand, education, clinical factors (e.g., depression level and perceived physical pain), lifestyle factors (e.g., smoking, alcohol, and leisure/productive activities), dietary habits, quality of life, and self-reported topographical disorientation were non-significantly associated with MCI. Prevalence estimates and the association of MCI and its subtypes with risk and protective factors were discussed in comparison with the most recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Perceived Social Support Mediates the Relationship between Use of Greenspace and Geriatric Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of South-Italian Older Adults

A growing body of evidence is suggestive for the beneficial role of contact with greenspace (e.g., use of greenspace, visual access to greenspace, etc.) on mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, etc.). In addition, several studies have pointed out the benefits of social support and social interaction on psychological wellbeing. Even if evidence on the association between contact with greenspace and perceived social support were mixed, it was supposed that the use of greenspace could enhance social interactions and perceived social support, especially among older adults. The present study aims to explore the effect of use of greenspace on geriatric depression in a sample of South-Italian older adults and the mediating role of perceived social support in this association. A structural equation model was tested in a sample of 454 older adults (60-90 years old) residing in the Metropolitan Area of Bari, Apulia. The fit indices revealed the goodness of fit of the model (CFI = 0.934; TLI = 0.900; IFI = 0.911; NFI = 0.935; RMSEA = 0.074; SRMR = 0.056). Results showed that the use of greenspace was inversely associated with geriatric depression through perceived social support. These findings underlined the relevance of perceived social support on the pathway linking use of greenspace and geriatric depressive symptoms. This evidence may be useful to policymakers to plan interventions for promoting physical access to greenspace and social participation in an age-friendly city framework.

Objective greenness, connectedness to nature and sunlight levels towards perceived restorativeness in urban nature

The beneficial effect of exposure to nature and immersion in natural environments on perceived well-being is well established. Nevertheless, we acknowledge an emerging need to disentangle the role of specific environmental features from individual factors that encourage a positive person-environment interaction. This study aimed at evaluating the associations between four buffer distances of greenness and dimensions of perceived restorativeness, with connectedness towards nature (CTN) as a confounder variable, in a sample of 312 visitors to a large urban park. Variables investigating ecosystem services (ES, e.g., thermal comfort) were included as covariates. Results revealed differentiated effects of greenness level, sunlight intensity, and connectedness to nature in the pathways towards dimensions of restorativeness. Greenness level at 300 m was associated with Fascination, Scope, and Being Away, while at 500 m was associated with Coherence, Scope, and Being Away. ES was found to be associated with Coherence, while CTN with the other three dimensions of restorativeness. The moderating effect of sunlight level in the relationship between NDVI buffer distances and the total score of perceived restorativeness was also confirmed. The present work is intended to offer insights on the interplay between environmental features and individual differences for implications in several contexts, including the opportunity to develop tailor-made planning for urban forestry.

The role of personality assessment in forensic driving license renewal procedures. A study supported by the MMPI-2 test

The main function of the medical-psychological assessment to evaluate fitness to drive (FTD) is to safeguard the community against risks posed by drivers who, owing to psycho-physical disease, personality disturbances, abuse of psychotropic substances or drugs, can be a hazard to safety on the roads. In the context of psychodiagnostic investigations, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) test is the gold standard tool supporting clinical assessments conducted to evaluate a subject's capacity to predict her/his own actions, attitudes, risk propensity, level of conformity to social norms. Other important features of the tool include the specific scales aimed at individuating behaviors adopted with the intent to elude or hide existing personality problems. These behaviors are very frequent in the field of medicolegal, psychological and psychiatric assessments, including FTD evaluations. In this study, the MMPI 2 test was administered to 154 subjects for whom Driving Licence (DL) Medical Commissions based in the south of Italy had required specific personality assessments, compared to a control group of 186 subjects with no clinical or psychodiagnostic problems. The question posed in our study was to understand whether the test was able to detect differences between the personalities of the subjects belonging to the two groups. The results obtained demonstrated significant differences between the experimental group and the controls, shown by the MMPI-2 variables, in particular the clinical Hs scale,the supplementary scales: GF, Re, AAS, APS and the content scales DEP and TRT, as well as the PSY-5 Disc and Nege scales.

"Regulating my anxiety worsens the safety of my driving": The synergistic influence of spatial anxiety and Self-regulation on driving behavior

Spatial Anxiety (SA) can be defined as the fear and apprehension experienced during tasks that require spatial thinking and may negatively impact the execution of daily actions. Although it has been explored in several research fields, limited research has explored the effects of SA on specific driving behaviours. In the current study, it was hypothesised that the severity of SA affects risky driving behaviours, and that this relationship is mediated by the driver's self-regulation abilities. Self-reported SA symptoms, driving self-regulation abilities, and risky driving behaviours (i.e., errors, violations, and lapses) were examined in 838 Italian drivers. Data were analysed through linear regressions and path analysis models, controlling for sociodemographic variables. The results showed the negative effects of SA on driving errors and lapses. As hypothesised, a driver's self-regulation abilities mediated the influence of SA on driving lapses, but not on errors nor violations. These findings suggest that the inclination to self-regulate the SA experienced while driving contribute to increase the occurrence of driving lapses. Showing specific pathways through which SA impacts risky driving, these results provide valuable insights for the development of 'driver-focused' road safety interventions.

Normative data of the Italian Famous Face Test

The faces we see in daily life exist on a continuum of familiarity, ranging from personally familiar to famous to unfamiliar faces. Thus, when assessing face recognition abilities, adequate evaluation measures should be employed to discriminate between each of these processes and their relative impairments. We here developed the Italian Famous Face Test (IT-FFT), a novel assessment tool for famous face recognition in typical and clinical populations. Normative data on a large sample (N = 436) of Italian individuals were collected, assessing both familiarity (d') and recognition accuracy. Furthermore, this study explored whether individuals possess insights into their overall face recognition skills by correlating the Prosopagnosia Index-20 (PI-20) with the IT-FFT; a negative correlation between these measures suggests that people have a moderate insight into their face recognition skills. Overall, our study provides the first online-based Italian test for famous faces (IT-FFT), a test that could be used alongside other standard tests of face recognition because it complements them by evaluating real-world face familiarity, providing a more comprehensive assessment of face recognition abilities. Testing different aspects of face recognition is crucial for understanding both typical and atypical face recognition.

Deontological Guilt Mediates the Effects of Personality on the Symptoms of Romantic Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD)

Objective

Relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD), a clinical variant of OCD, is associated with personality traits and guilt sensitivity. Previous studies have not investigated whether the guilt associated with ROCD stems from deontological or altruistic morality. The main aim of the present study was to explore the differentiated impact of deontological and altruistic guilt on ROCD symptoms in romantic relationships. The study also aimed to test the mediating role of guilt in the relationships between personality traits and ROCD symptoms.

Method

Through linear regressions and path analysis, we examined the results of an online survey administered to 659 emerging adults, assessing the Big-5 personality traits, ROCD symptoms, and the moral orientation of guilt feelings (deontological/altruistic).

Results

Results revealed the negative influence of agreeableness and emotionality on ROCD symptoms. Moral dirtiness, as a facet of deontological moral orientation, was found to mediate the effects of personality predictors on relationship-centred but not on partner-focused ROCD symptoms, providing support for differential diagnosis.

Conclusions

These findings provide a clearer understanding of the cognitive determinants that sustain ROCD symptoms and offer evidence on associated personality traits. These results may represent a valuable source of knowledge for researchers as well as clinical therapists dealing with ROCD symptoms, couple disorders, and sexual dysfunction.