PERCEPTUAL ASSESSMENT/IMPROVEMENT OF THE OLDER DRIVER

OLDER ADULTS HAVE MORE TRAFFIC CONVICTIONS AND ACCIDENTS AND INCUR MORE FATALITIES PER MILE DRIVEN THAN ANY OTHER AGE GROUP. THE AIM OF THE RESEARCH IS TWO-FOLD: 1) TO TAKE THE RESEARCH PARADIGMS DEMONSTRATED TO BE RELATED TO A VARIETY OF EVERYDAY FUNCTIONAL VISION PROBLEMS IN OLDER ADULTS AND EMBODY THEM IN A SCREENING/TRAINING DEVICE WHICH CAN BE USED BY PHYSICIANS AND EYE-CARE SPECIALISTS IN DIAGNOSING COGNITIVE/PERCEPTUAL IMPAIRMENTS PREDICTIVE OF ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT AND 2) TO FURTHER DEVELOP USEFUL INTERVENTION PROCEDURES, INDIVIDU- ALIZED TO THE DIAGNOSIS, WHICH CAN BE IMPLEMENTED ON THE SAME APPARATUS AND USED TO PROLONG SAFE DRIVING, AND IMPROVE COGNI- TIVE/PERCEPTUAL FUNCTIONING IN GENERAL. UNLIKE THE AUTOMATED PERIMETERS USED TO MEASURE THE VISUAL FIELD, AND TO DIAGNOSE THE PRESENCE OF OCULAR PATHOLOGY, THE NEW APPARATUS UNDER DEVELOPMENT MEASURES THE AREA OF VISUAL AWARENESS IN A DIVIDED ATTENTION SITUATION. THIS AREA HAS BEEN FOUND TO SHRINK FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, AND THE PREVALENCE OF THESE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS BEGINS TO RISE SHARPLY AFTER AGE 40. THE RESEARCH IN PHASE I WILL DETERMINE THE RELIABILITY OF A SCREENING TEST ON THE NEW APPARATUS, FURTHER DEVELOP SEVERAL TRAINING INTERVENTION PROGRAMS, AND ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEMONSTRATION AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.