Effects of Fog on Distance and Speed Perception
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Imagine you are driving your car on a foggy evening. There is another car in front of you driving at an acceptable speed. The driver of the car in front of you applies the breaks and you apply yours. You believe you have remained behind at what seems to be a safe distance and have slowed down at what seems to be an appropriate speed. However, you suddenly rear-end the car in front of you.
Think about what might have happened to your distance and speed perception and whether the fog had something to do with hampering your judgment.
Read the following two articles regarding the effect of fog on distance and speed perception:
Brooks, J. O., Crisler, M. C., Klein, N., Goodenough, R., Beeco, R. W., Guirl, C., . . . Beck, C. (2011). Speed choice and driving performance in simulated foggy conditions. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 43(3), 698–705. Retrieved fromhttp://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/science /article/pii/S0001457510002939 Caro, S., Cavallo, V., Marendaz, C., Boer, E. R., & Vienne, F. (2009). Can headway reduction in fog be explained by impaired perception of relative motion? Human Factors, 51(3), 378–392.http://hfs.sagepub.com.libproxy.edmc.edu/content/51/3/378.full.pdf+html Using the above articles, as well as your textbook and module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, explain the sensation and perception processes that led you to misjudge the distance and speed in foggy conditions.
Be sure to address the following in your response:
What was the path that the image of the car took through the visual system? What are the perceptual processes involved in depth (distance) perception and speed (movement) perception? How does fog affect these perceptual processes? How do the bottom-up and top-down approaches explain your faulty perception of distance and speed? What other factors (physiological or environmental) could affect the perception of distance and speed, and cause the accident? Write a 3–4-page paper in Word format. Be sure to include a title page and a reference page. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.
