Papers by Geoff Underwood
Increasing Motorcycle Conspicuity, 2017
Journal of Eye Movement Research, 2012
Complex stimuli and tasks elicit particular eye movement sequences. Previous research has focused... more Complex stimuli and tasks elicit particular eye movement sequences. Previous research has focused on comparing between these scanpaths, particularly in memory and imagery research where it has been proposed that observers reproduce their eye movements when recognizing or imagining a stimulus. However, it is not clear whether scanpath similarity is related to memory performance and which particular aspects of the eye movements recur. We therefore compared eye movements in a picture memory task, using a recently proposed comparison method, MultiMatch, which quantifies scanpath similarity across multiple dimensions including shape and fixation duration. Scanpaths were more similar when the same participant’s eye movements were compared from two viewings of the same image than between different images or different participants viewing the same image. In addition, fixation durations were similar within a participant and this similarity was associated with memory performance.
Proceedings of the 7th International Driving Symposium on Human Factors in Driver Assessment, Training, and Vehicle Design : driving assessment 2013, 2013
We conducted on-road and simulator studies to explore the mechanisms underpinning driver-rider cr... more We conducted on-road and simulator studies to explore the mechanisms underpinning driver-rider crashes. In Study 1 the verbal protocols of 40 drivers and riders were assessed at intersections as part of a 15km on-road route in Melbourne. Network analysis of the verbal transcripts highlighted key differences in the situation awareness of drivers and riders at intersections. In a further study using a driving simulator we examined in car drivers the influence of acute exposure to motorcyclists. In a 15 min simulated drive, 40 drivers saw either no motorcycles or a high number of motorcycles in the surrounding traffic. In a subsequent 45-60 min drive, drivers were asked to detect motorcycles in traffic. The proportion of motorcycles was manipulated so that there was either a high (120) or low (6) number of motorcycles during the drive. Those drivers exposed to a high number of motorcycles were significantly faster at detecting motorcycles. Fundamentally, the incompatible situation awareness at intersections by drivers and riders underpins the conflicts. Study 2 offers some suggestion for a countermeasure here, although more research around schema and exposure training to support safer interactions is needed. OBJECTIVE Intersection-based crashes between cars and motorcycles are a significant concern worldwide. Potentially underpinning these crashes are two constructs in the psychological and safety literature: looked-but-failed-to-see (LBFTS) errors and schema (Walker et al., 2011). The former describes the situation whereby a road user directs attention toward the relevant part of the visual scene but fails to process that information. The second concept, schema, provides an explanation for why LBFTS errors occur and refers to the mental templates that guide perception, decision making and action. These schema direct sampling of the environment, which in turn directs behaviour, which in turn modifies schema and so on (e.g. Neisser, 1976). Recent research suggests that drivers and motorcyclists interpret the same road situations differently (Shahar et al., 2010; Walker et al., 2011), and while such differences are inevitable and indeed appropriate, a degree of compatibility between their situation awareness (SA) is needed to minimise conflicts (Walker et al., 2011). The result of incompatible awareness can
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017
The current study explored attentional processing of social and non-social stimuli in ASD within ... more The current study explored attentional processing of social and non-social stimuli in ASD within the context of a driving hazard perception task. Participants watched videos of road scenes and detected hazards while their eye movements were recorded. Although individuals with ASD demonstrated relatively good detection of driving hazards, they were slower to orient to hazards. Greater attentional capture in the time preceding the hazards' onset was associated with lower verbal IQ. The findings suggest that individuals with ASD may distribute and direct their attention differently when identifying driving hazards.
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2016
An ultra-compact, ultra-broadband vertical coupler for dense photonic integrated circuits is repo... more An ultra-compact, ultra-broadband vertical coupler for dense photonic integrated circuits is reported with a 1.07 � 0.62 μm 2 wavelength-scale footprint. This hybrid plasmonicphotonic coupler uses a unique two-plane plasmonic nanoantenna array on a siliconon-insulator waveguide. The in-and out-of-plane interference of the multipole moments and dual-feed nanoantennas results in efficient, unidirectional coupling. Finiteelement simulations show that, for a 0.8 μm diameter Gaussian beam, the maximum coupling efficiency (CE) is −3.4 dB across the telecommunication C-, Land U-bands with a 3-dB bandwidth of 230 nm. The CE is > 9 dB higher than recently reported ultra-compact plasmonic couplers. The maximum directivity and polarisation extinction ratio across the C-to U-bands are 9.2 and 24.1 dB, respectively. Finally, as an out-coupler, it has a vertical directivity of >8.5 dB, enabling its use for vertical optical interconnects between two vertically separated circuits.
Green Energy and Technology, 2015
ABSTRACT Efforts towards the promotion of sustainable mobility across Europe need to be supported... more ABSTRACT Efforts towards the promotion of sustainable mobility across Europe need to be supported by technological, political and strategic decisions. In the field of technology, the quest for sustainable mobility can be greatly be supported by the use of electric vehicles. Apart from the well-known benefits related to the reduction of CO2 emissions, electric mobility may also contribute to reduced air pollution, less noise and thus an increase in the quality of life, especially in urban centres. This chapter presents the experiences gathered as part of the project “North Sea Region Electric Mobility Network (E-Mobility NSR)”, co-financed by the Interreg IVB North Sea Programme, with the aims of promoting electric mobility in the North Sea Region (NSR). The main objectives of the project are described, along with its structure, the partnership and a set of results reached to date. The paper is complemented by an overview of future needs and opportunities, so as to further support the development of electric mobility policies and practices in the North Sea Region.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2008
B. Caputo and M. Vincze (Eds.): ICVW 2008, LNCS 5329, pp. 5164, 2008. © Springer-Verlag Berlin H... more B. Caputo and M. Vincze (Eds.): ICVW 2008, LNCS 5329, pp. 5164, 2008. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008 ... Remembering Pictures of Real-World Images Using Eye ... Fixation Sequences in Imagery and in Recognition ... Geoffrey Underwood1, Neil Mennie1, ...
IET Intelligent Transport Systems, 2015
Research on the acceptability of assistive systems for improving the safety of powered two-wheele... more Research on the acceptability of assistive systems for improving the safety of powered two-wheelers (PTWs) is a pressing issue. The use of safety-enhancing assistive systems for motorised vehicles, including advanced driver assistance systems and in-vehicle information systems is widespread in many countries. Yet, there is only a limited number of equivalent intelligent transport systems (ITS) for PTWs, namely advanced rider assistance systems and on-bike information systems. This study describes the methodological development of a specific tool for assessing motorcyclists' acceptability of ITS, as part of the motorcyclists' profiling questionnaire (MOPROQ). There were three stages of development. First, a literature review was undertaken to assess the current state of the art regarding ITS for PTWs and to determine the most relevant facets of acceptability that should be measured. Second, a series of focus group interviews were conducted to explore riders' attitudes towards ITS. Finally, the focus group results were used to develop a large-scale survey (MOPROQ), which was administered to an initial sample of over 6000 riders internationally. The designed tool can be used as a basis for the determination of rider acceptability of ITS systems in the future.
Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 2013
There has been limited development of advanced rider assistance systems and on-bike information s... more There has been limited development of advanced rider assistance systems and on-bike information systems for powered two-wheelers (PTWs), even though research suggests population-wide deployment of assistive systems could significantly reduce PTW crashes. This study aims to understand general and system-specific factors that are likely to influence acceptability of PTW assistive systems, including barriers that may prevent uptake and proper use of systems, through a large-scale survey amongst European riders. The survey was available in seven languages and attracted 6297 respondents. Respondents were frequent riders, who rode primarily for leisure purposes and had high awareness of assistive systems. Cluster analysis revealed two groups based on overall acceptability of assistive systems. The moderate and low acceptance clusters differed in terms of riding practices, risk perception, attitudes towards rule breaking, and some personality traits. Overall acceptance was low, but riders who perceive greater risk in riding display higher acceptability. Acceptability was highest for systems that do not interfere with the riding task, are well-known and/or considered reliable (e.g., night vision, ABS, eCall, advanced front-lighting system). In general, riders believe that existing safety equipment (e.g., helmets, protective clothing) is more reliable, provides greater resistance, and is considerably cheaper than more sophisticated assistive technology. Riders believe that innovations should focus on protective equipment, since they believe crash prevention is better addressed through rider training. Finally, riders felt there should be more emphasis vehicle tyre condition and tyre pressure control systems were identified as potentially helpful.
The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology A, 1999
Ni, Crain, and Shankweiler (1996) present evidence to suggest that the focus operator only can gu... more Ni, Crain, and Shankweiler (1996) present evidence to suggest that the focus operator only can guide how reduced relative clause sentences are initially parsed. In this paper, we demonstrate that this does not hold for relative clause sentences that start with a nounphrase, verb, noun-phrase construction. We report an eye movement study in which subjects read reduced and unreduced sentences of this type with and without the focus operator only. T here were longer ® rst-pass reading times in the critical region of reduced sentences than in the same region of unreduced sentences, regardless of the inclusion of only. Furthermore, readers spent less time re-inspecting portions of text after being garden pathed when reading reduced relative clause sentences that contained the focus operator than when reading reduced relative clause sentences that did not. We conclude that subjects initially syntactically misanalysed reduced relative clause sentences with and without only, and the inclusion of a focus operator facilitated recovery procedures rather than guiding initial parsing. T hese results are inconsistent with the referential theory and undermine the conclusions of Ni et al. (1996).
Perception, 1983
What effect may an unattended word have during a single fixation? Attention was selectively direc... more What effect may an unattended word have during a single fixation? Attention was selectively directed to a word exposed for 50 ms by the demand to make a rapid lexical decision response, and during the same presentation a second word was displayed approximately 2.3 deg of visual angle away on the same horizontal axis. The second word was backwards and forwards masked by a random-dot display, and was described to subjects as a distractor which was to be ignored. Although no response was required to this word, it was found to influence response latency to the attended word according to the semantic relationship which existed between the two. They interfered with the lexical decision response when the two words were related in meaning and also when they sounded as if they were related in meaning. These effects argue for automatic processing of the meaning of printed words presented in either visual hemifield, and for their automatic phonological activation.
Journal of Vision, 2010
Memory for scenes is important. How we use memory when directing eye movements during visual sear... more Memory for scenes is important. How we use memory when directing eye movements during visual search is an important aspect of visual cognition. To investigate the use of gaze during recall for objects and location, we asked subjects to look at an image containing objects ...
Journal of Research in Reading, 1979
Some current problems in reading, as viewed by cognitive psychology, are discussed around a summa... more Some current problems in reading, as viewed by cognitive psychology, are discussed around a summary of a symposium on Reading and Lexical Access held ac, part of the International Conference on Practical Aspects of Memory (Gruneberg, Morris arid Sykes, I 978). The analysis of componmt processes in reading, and the analysis of reading dynamics provide apparently opposing approaches to the study of reading, but they often lead to similar conclusions about reading behaviour and are seen here to be complementary approaches. Prompted by the discussion of phonological mediation in a number of the papers we are led to the conclusion that whereas phonological reading can be observed to be used on some occasions, it is not necessary for word recognition and reading. Three hypotheses of its use by skilled readers are suggested-for sequential attention control, for the generation of a working memory code, and for the resolution of ambiguity by prosodics. The beginning reader may have a further use in gaining a spoken representation, and therefore recognition, of new words. RESUME Les skills co,gnitfs dans le processus de la lecture: une revue. Cette revue, qui s'occupe de quelques problemes courants de la lectutre vus par la psychologie cognitive, se base sur un colloque, 'La Lecture et
Journal of Research in Reading, 1987
Can good and poor readers be differentiated by their use of word-naming and lexical access codes?... more Can good and poor readers be differentiated by their use of word-naming and lexical access codes? Poor readers experience extreme difficulty in decoding nonsense words, indicating that they cannot use the spelling to sound rules which underlie the indirect phonological route to word pronunciation. However, recent evidence suggests that poor readers do use a phonological route for lexical access in word and picture naming tasks which rely upon the production of a phonological code. Is this also true of other tasks, which are not dependent upon phonological representation? Two such tasks are described in the present study: one involving picture-word interference, and the other involving a lexical decision paradigm. Results showed that poor readers do use a phonological route to lexical access independent of task demand. A review of findings in this area to date shows several inconsistencies, and an attempt is made to resolve these by drawing on Stanovich's (1980) interactivecompensatory model of reading. RESUME De quelle nature est la diffprence d'aptitude a la lecture observke au niveau de la competence lexicale Quel est le r61e de l'encodage phonologique dans la diffkrenciation faite entre bon et mauvais lecteur? La premitre hypothtse consiste a dire que le bon lacteur est celui qui est le plus apte A utiliser les rtgles de conversion de lettre en son, rtgle qui soustend le relai phonologique menant qu sens du mot; la deuxitme hypothese consiste A The editorial responsibility for this article was assumed by R. G. Brooks.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1989
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 1982
... EXPERIMENTAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 34, 93112 (1982) Phonological Coding in Good and Poor Readers P... more ... EXPERIMENTAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 34, 93112 (1982) Phonological Coding in Good and Poor Readers PAMELA BRIGGS AND GEOFFREY UNDERWOOD University ... each with a superimposed letter string which fell into one of three categories: a picture label, a nonsense ...
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2009
This study investigated whether individuals with ASD (autistic spectrum disorders) are able to id... more This study investigated whether individuals with ASD (autistic spectrum disorders) are able to identify driving hazards, given their difficulties processing social information, Klin et al. (Archives of General Psychiatry 59: 809-816, 2002). Twenty-three adult males with ASD and 21 comparison participants viewed 10 video clips containing driving hazards. In half of the clips the source of the hazard was a visible person (social); in the other half the source was a car (non-social). Participants with ASD identified fewer social hazards than the comparison participants (U = 163.00, N = 44, p \ .05) but not nonsocial. Participants with ASD were also slower to respond than comparison participants, F(1,40) = 4.93, p \ .05. This suggests that, although people with ASD can perceive driving hazards they may have specific difficulty identifying them if they involve a person. Keywords Autism Á Driving hazards Á Social processing Converging evidence suggests that individuals with ASD (autistic spectrum disorders) have early-emerging deficits in the perception of social material. For example, infants with ASD look at people less frequently and for less time than typically developing or developmentally delayed
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2003
The E-Z Reader model (Reichle et al. 1998; 1999) provides a theoretical framework for understandi... more The E-Z Reader model (Reichle et al. 1998; 1999) provides a theoretical framework for understanding how word identification, visual processing, attention, and oculomotor control jointly determine when and where the eyes move during reading. In this article, we first review what is known about eye movements during reading. Then we provide an updated version of the model (E-Z Reader 7) and describe how it accounts for basic findings about eye movement control in reading. We then review several alternative models of eye movement control in reading, discussing both their core assumptions and their theoretical scope. On the basis of this discussion, we conclude that E-Z Reader provides the most comprehensive account of eye movement control during reading. Finally, we provide a brief overview of what is known about the neural systems that support the various components of reading, and suggest how the cognitive constructs of our model might map onto this neural architecture.
Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2012
The ability to detect hazards in video clips of driving has been inconsistently linked to driving... more The ability to detect hazards in video clips of driving has been inconsistently linked to driving experience and skill. One potential reason for the lack of consistency is the failure to understand the structural differences between those hazards that discriminate between safe and unsafe drivers, and those that do not. The current study used a car simulator to test drivers of differing levels of experience on approach to a series of hazards that were categorized a priori according to their underlying structure. The results showed that learner drivers took longer to fixate hazards, although they were particularly likely to miss hazards that were obscured by the environment (such as a pedestrian emerging from behind a parked truck). While drivers with a moderate amount of experience were as fast as driving instructors to look at hazards, they spent the greatest amount of time looking at them. Only instructors' ability to detect hazards early in the approach translated into differences in driving speed for certain types of hazard. The results demonstrate that drivers of varying experience respond differently to different hazards, and lay the foundations for a hazard typology.
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Papers by Geoff Underwood