CERES :: Browsing by Author "Guppy, Andrew"

Browsing by Author "Guppy, Andrew"

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Open Access
Driver attitude and attribution : implications for accident prevention
(Cranfield University, 1995-06) Clay, Diane; Guppy, Andrew
This study involved self-completion questionnaire-based surveys in which a total of almost 1800 respondents took part. Attributional bias identified by previous research in relation to drivers' causal attributions for road accidents (Preston & Harris, 1965; Clay, 1987) was more fully explored with the aid of both objectively and subjectively culpable driver samples. Banks et al (1977) demonstrated the utility of distinguishing drivers according to culpability in relation to accident fatalaties. The current study examined the utility of distinguishing subjectively culpable, non-culpable, and non-accident driver groups in relation to road accidents with a variety of consequences, in relation to factors which may predispose drivers to accident involvement. This study involved a large sample of drivers who were representative of the general population of licenced drivers in Britain, and specifically focussed samples which allowed the influence of objective and subjective culpability to be ascertained, while a relatively small cross-cultural survey allowed a focus on young drivers (up to 25 years), involving Victorian (Australian) licenced drivers and a sub-sample of young British drivers drawn from the main British sample. The main objectives of the current study were to evaluate drivers' awareness of their potential for active accident avoidance, exploring attribution issues raised by previous research and examining factors which may contribute to road accidents in relation to self-reported accident involvement and culpability and their implications for accident prevention. The main findings were that drivers seemed to have a tendency to attribute more responsibility to "other drivers" than to themselves for accidents in which they had been involved, and to consider that such other drivers had more scope for accident avoidance than they did themselves. Such tendencies, although very considerably reduced, were not eradicated within the driver group deemed culpable by traffic police investigative teams. These findings were broadly consistent with those of Clay (1987) and Preston & Harris (1965), suggesting a lack of awareness of personal influence on accident occurrence, at least to some degree, with implications for accident prevention, the quality of social interaction in the driving environment (Knapper & Cropley, 1980), and the driver's potential to learn from experience. Perhaps more importantly, the other major finding was that clear distinctions could nonetheless be made between drivers in accordance with self-reported accident involvement and culpability in relation to driver affect/state, self-perception, attributions for accident causation, and attitudinal/behavioural tendencies, in a manner which seemed to be meaningful in terms of driver susceptibility to accident risk. Ile pattern of response for accident involvement and culpability effects was then examined in relation to the norms which emerged for age and sex, while the effects of driving experience duration and intensity were examined separately. The second point of focus on any distinctive features of younger driver risk, also allowed assessment of generalizability of findings across cultures, to some degree. The findings appear to have considerable implications for the development of effective accident prevention strategies, while suggesting that further exploration of drivers' causal attribution bias in relation to road accidents and distinctions between drivers according to subjective culpability may offer considerable safety benefits.
Open Access
Observed and reported driver behaviour at junctions : implications for driver training
(Cranfield University, 1991-09) Bottomley, David M.; Guppy, Andrew
Over half of the accidents on British roads occur at junctions and it was the primary goal of this research to develop an increased understanding of the underlying factors behind these accidents. The vast majority of all road accidents are attributable to human error and the research investigated junction negotiation with respect to drivers' perceptions of the social and environmental components of driving. The first part of the research, an observation study, gathered basic information about actual driver behaviour at junctions. The progress of over 3600 vehicles at four junctions of differing styles was recorded and analysed with the aid of a timebase video facility. It was found that approximately 7% of all drivers were involved in some form of near-miss for which evasive action was necessary. In addition to basic descriptive information, inferential statistical techniques were used to identify factors contributing to near-miss incidents in addition to signalling, tracking and approach speed behaviours. The information derived from this first study was used, in conjunction with that obtained from group discussions, to develop a questionnaire. Using a postal distribution technique, the questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of British full driving licence obtained from the records of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority. An additional sample was obtained from the Thames Valley Police accident records at Milton Keynes to ensure that a suitably-sized accident-involved sample was available for analysis. The various sections of the questionnaire were designed to reflect different aspects of driving at junctions. In addition, respondents were asked to provide details of the most recent accident, if any, which they had been involved in. Just over half of the 740 respondents to the questionnaire reported such accidents, and the information provided was used to establish factors implicated in accident-involvement, and particularly accident culpability, at junctions. In addition to sex and exposure factors, it was found that self-descriptive metavariables were the most effective at predicting aspects of involvement in accidents at junctions. In particular, those deemed to be accident-liable were more likely to describe themselves as self-centred and ill-mannered. Other metavariables, particularly those recording the subjective riskiness of various manoeuvres, were also found to be useful discriminators between various sub-groups of accident- involved drivers. Finally, the differences in responses made by drivers who had been trained by a variety of methods, or combination of methods, were investigated. It was discovered that those drivers initially trained by a qualified instructor were more likely to respond in similar ways to accident-involved drivers. In contrast, those who had taken some form of advanced tuition were more likely to report more considerate, attentive traits. Several suggestions for further research were made, particularly recommending the adoption of a longitudinal research design to enable causal relationships between accident-involvement and responses to questionnaire items to be determined.
Open Access
Observed and reported driving behaviour at a junction : the influence of engineering measures
(Cranfield Institute of Technology, College of Aeronautics, 1989) Bottomley, David M.; Guppy, Andrew
Open Access
Occupational stress in Northamptonshire secondary school teachers
(Cranfield Institute of Technology; College of Aeronautics, 1988) Peacock, R. J.; Guppy, Andrew
Open Access
Promoting the well-being of elderly women through exercise.
(Cranfield University, 1997-02) Rowland, Linda; Guppy, Andrew
By the next decade, 5.1 percent of the British population will be over the age of eighty years. Women will make up over half of this figure. Finding ways of helping elderly women to maintain good health and therefore well-being, will become even more critical. Exercise is increasingly being recognised as a possible way of promoting health for elderly women, as evidence is emerging of the physical and psychological benefits that accrue from exercise. However, the empirical research evidence on exercise has derived mainly from young and middle-aged males, which means little is known about the specific benefits of exercise for the elderly and there are few tools to measure accurately exercise behaviour in this population. In the few exercise studies which have been conducted with the elderly, methodological flaws have often left the results unclear. Exercise up-take and adherence amongst elderly women is also low and psychological models have so far failed to adequately explain the reasons for this. To achievet he aim of this thesist o contributet o knowledgeo n the relationshipb etween physicala ctivity andw ell-beingi n elderlyw omen,t hree studiesa re conductedI.n study one,a postal questionnairefo r measuringe xerciseb ehaviour,b eliefsa nda ttitudesi n this population was first developed(, the London Health andF itnessQ uestionnaireL;I HFQ),w ith 248 elderly women. Secondi n studyt wo, a randomisedc ontrolledt rial of 100p ost-menopausawlo men assignedto eithera six monthb risk walking programmeo r homeopathicd oseo f exercisew as conducted.B aselinea nd six monthm easureso f staminal,e g strength,e xercisea ttitudes( using the LIHFQ) and subjectiveh ealths tatus( usingt he NottinghamH ealthP rofile;N HP) were taken.F inally, studyt hreei s exploratory,a nd examinesth e influenceso n elderlyw omen's participation in domestic and sporting physical activity, in a sample of 820 retirees from a major national retail company. The LHFQ and the NHP were used to obtain data. In study one,t he reliability andv alidity of the LHFQ proveda cceptableR. e-testr eliabilityw as bestf or numbero f hours spento n carryingo ut errandsa ndr ecreationael xerciseb, ut lowest for reports on past exercisee xperiencea nd identifyingb arrierst o exerciseT. he LIHEFQ appearsto haves atisfactoryfa ce,c ontenta nd constructv alidity. In study two, repeatedm easuresA NOVAs were usedt o detecta ny changesb etweena nd within the brisk walking and placeboe xerciseg roupso ver the six monthp eriod.M ean scores on the NBP indicatedt hat the brisk walking programmeh ada more beneficiailm pact on healths tatus,w ith significanti mprovemenitn perceivedp hysicaml obility. Significantp ositive changesw ere alson otedf or brisk walkerso n two exercisea ttitudes tatementsS. taminaa nd leg strengths ignificantlyi mprovedf or both groupso ver time. A numbero f threatst o the internalv alidity of the studyf indingse mergeda ndt hesea red iscusseda t length. In study three,m ultiple regressiona nalysesin dicatedt hat althoughd ifferentf actorsi nfluence domestica nd sportinga ctivity, good-healths tatusa nd age( beingy ounger)a re core variables influencingb oth thesea ctivities.I n addition,p ositivee xerciseb eliefsa nd attitudes,a nd past exercisee xperiencew ere shownt o influencee xerciseb ehaviour.
Open Access
Sequential traumatisation in the police
(Cranfield University, 2000-01) Peters-Bean, Kyron M.; Muir, Helen; Guppy, Andrew
There is a paucity of research into traumatic incidents concerning police workers (Hart et al. 1995). There are also few studies relating the prolonged and repetitive exposure to traumatic stressors, or 'sequential trauma' (Gersons and earlier 1990; 1992). Whilst it was acknowledged that organisational stress contributes to adaptive or maladaptive well being, dependent on transactional variables between the person and their environment, it was also argued that further along the stress continuum, there exists gross stress reactions similar to Post Traumatic stress Disorders (PTSD; DSM-IIIR; American Psychiatric Association 1989) and newly revised PTSD criterion (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association 1994). However PTSD exclusively relates to a single event of overwhelming magnitude (Davidson and Foa 1991), whilst sequential trauma relates to mUltiple event exposure (Peters-Bean 1990b; 1996). It was argued that the magnitude of stimuli in trauma is not as important as the management of the trauma. Rather trauma is an artefact of person-environment transactions and the operation of 'traumatic signatures' which can be used adaptively or maladaptively in certain scenarios. Models of sequential trauma were proposed and tested. These notions are discussed in relation to three studies: an interview booklet survey (N=89); a Metropolitan Police Survey (N=134) and a Main U.K. Forces Survey (N=528) Results and implications for police workers and further research was discussed. It was found that trauma signatures may possibly assist in the processes involved with encountering trauma, primary and secondary appraisal mechanisms, coping post-event and physiological and psychological well-being with reference to individual and organisational outcomes.
Open Access
Stress in the workplace : studies of psychiatric nurses and prison service workers
(Cranfield University, 1991-11) Peacock, R.; Guppy, Andrew
Extensive depth interviews and self-completion questionnaires were used to assess subjective stress experience and issues relating to coping in samples of psychiatric nurses and prison service workers. Psychiatric nurses working within a psychiatric hospital due for closure had particular problems with stress relating to staff shortages, support from senior managers, and obtaining day-to-day resources. Four stress factors were elicited, the more important being related to staff shortages and support, and disputes. Enrolled Nurses and Staff Nurses, and nurses working within Continuing Care wards experienced the greatest problems with occupational stress in general. Comparative intra-role conflict and type A orientations to work were predictive of greater problems with occupational stress. Occupational stress was also a particular problem for dual careerists and nurses experiencing inter-role conflict. Low job satisfaction was related to greater problems with occupational stress. Prison service workers within a custodial establishment undergoing significant organisational change had particular problems with stress relating to paperwork systems, setting priorities, feelings of lack of appreciation from supervisors, inadequate feedback, and noise. Six stress factors were elicited, the more important being definition of work role, inmates, and setting priorities. Probation Officers experienced the greatest problems with occupational stress in general and the lowest levels of general psychological wellbeing as measured by a modified version of GHQ-12. Around one third of the sample experienced negative effects of stress in some area of their lives. Low job satisfaction was related to greater problems with occupational stress, and was predictive of low morale. Various factors regarding stress-related issues were assessed in terms of their predictive utility in determining basic grade prison officers' intentions to seek transfers and potential for leaving the service. The efficacy of presently used coping strategies and preferences for organisational coping resources were assessed for the two samples. Stress associated with role-related issues and significant events in the workplace are discussed. A model of stress is provided to account for stress in work settings - 'Stress in the workplace' - which defines stress in terms of ineffective coping with psychological demands. A variety of individual and organisational stress management / reduction strategies are reviewed. A general organisational framework for addressing stress in the workplace is provided in appended form.
Open Access
Young people and road user behaviour: attitudes, judgements and behaviour
(Cranfield University, 1992-10) Adams, J. R.; Guppy, Andrew
The problem of the disproportionately high accident and offence rate of young drivers is a major area for concern in the field of road safety (Cameron, 1982,1983; Jonah, 1986). Research suggests that young drivers have a propensity to become involved in risk-taking behaviours and that this may be due to both motivational factors (Schuman, et al, 1967; MacMillan, 1975; Wilde, 1982; Jessor, 1987), and the components of risk perception (Quenault et al, 1968; Quimby and Watts, 1981; Finn and Bragg, 1986; Mathews and Moran, 1986). The present study employed two distinct methodologies (surveys and the relatively novel technique of interactive video) in order to examine the attitudes, judgements and behaviours of a sample of young drivers (17-19 years) and pre-drivers (11-18 years). The questionnaire surveys and the Interactive Video Driving Programme (I. V. D. P. ) revealed that distinct attitudes towards driving are held as early as 11 years of age, and that there are several attitudinal, judgemental and behavioural dimensions along which the sexes and/or the developmental groups within the driver and pre-driver sample, could be discriminated. These dimensions related to perceptions of driving offences, risk-taking attitudes and behaviours, hazard perception and evaluation, and road environment awareness. The use of the I. V. D. P. allowed the examination of driving behaviours and judgements in simulated decision situations. Results indicated that there were some differences in the results produced by the two methodologies. Results tend to suggest that the more interactive and pictorial modes of information presentation may be more successful in assisting young people to develop more accurate mental representations of the road traffic environment. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the design and implementation of school-based pre/driver education programmes. Specifically, issues such as information content and presentation, and the targeting of information at young people of different developmental stages are addressed.

Browsing by Author "Guppy, Andrew"

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