Abstract
Driving anger and aggressive driving are main contributors to crashes, especially among young males. Trait driving anger is context-specific and unique from other forms of anger. It is necessary to understand the mechanisms of trait driving anger to develop targeted interventions. Although literature conceptually distinguished reactive and proactive aggression, this distinction is uncommon in driving research. Similar, cognitive biases related to driving anger, measured by a combination of explicit and implicit measures, received little attention. This pilot study related explicit and implicit measures associated with reactive and proactive aggression to trait driving anger, while considering age. The sample consisted of 42 male drivers. The implicit measures included a self-aggression association (i.e., Single-Target Implicit Association Test) and an attentional aggression bias (i.e., Emotional Stroop Task). Reactive aggression related positively with trait driving anger. Moreover, a self-aggression association negatively related to trait driving anger. Finally, an interaction effect for age suggested that only in young male drivers, higher proactive aggression related to lower trait driving anger. These preliminary results motivate further attention to the combination of explicit and implicit measures related to reactive and proactive aggression in trait driving anger research.
Highlights
Anger is a highly arousing and negative emotion that is often experienced while driving
We investigated the relationship between self-reported explicit reactive and proactive aggression and trait driving anger
We focused on neurotypical drivers, but a design with implicit measures could be useful in studies including people with, for instance, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Autism
Summary
Anger is a highly arousing and negative emotion that is often experienced while driving. Drivers may display outward expressions of aggression, either verbally or behaviourally [1]. A population survey measured over a one-month period indicated that 60% of drivers became extremely angry about another driver’s behaviour [2]. A US News and World report survey among drivers indicated that anger while driving is experienced or witnessed in other drivers by more than 90% of drivers [3]. Aggressive behaviour is defined as any behaviour performed with the intention to harm another person to avoid being hurt or injured him or herself, with specific emphasis on the intentional aspect of the act and not depending on the consequences of the harm [7].
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