Disparities in the evaluation and diagnosis of abuse among infants with traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To evaluate in a national database the association of race and socioeconomic status with radiographic evaluation and subsequent diagnosis of child abuse after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in infants.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of infants with non-motor vehicle-associated TBI who were admitted to 39 pediatric hospitals from January 2004 to June 2008. Logistic regression controlling for age, type, and severity of TBI and the presence of other injuries was performed to examine the association of race and socioeconomic status with the principal outcomes of radiographic evaluation for suspected abuse and diagnosis of abuse.

The crash involvement of older drivers is associated with their hazard perception latencies.

Hazard perception in driving is the one of the few driving-specific skills associated with crash involvement. However, this relationship has only been examined in studies where the majority of individuals were younger than 65. We present the first data revealing an association between hazard perception and self-reported crash involvement in drivers aged 65 and over.

Evaluation of on-road driving in people with hemianopia and quadrantanopia.

Objective: To examine whether some drivers with hemianopia or quadrantanopia display safe driving skills on the road compared with drivers with normal visual fields.

Method: An occupational therapist evaluated 22 people with hemianopia, 8 with quadrantanopia, and 30 with normal vision for driving skills during naturalistic driving using six rating scales.

Results: Of drivers with normal vision, > 90% drove flawlessly or had minor errors.

Effect of simulated visual impairment on nighttime driving performance.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of simulated visual impairment on nighttime driving performance and pedestrian recognition under real-road conditions.

Methods: Closed road nighttime driving performance was measured for 20 young visually normal participants (M = 27.5 +/- 6.

The effect of presbyopic vision corrections on nighttime driving performance.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of various presbyopic vision corrections on nighttime driving performance on a closed-road driving circuit.

Methods: Participants were 11 presbyopes (mean age, 57.3+/-5.

Magnocellular and parvocellular pathway mediated luminance contrast discrimination in amblyopia.

To evaluate whether luminance contrast discrimination losses in amblyopia on putative magnocellular (MC) and parvocellular (PC) pathway tasks reflect deficits at retinogeniculate or cortical sites. Fifteen amblyopes including six anisometropes, seven strabismics, two mixed and 12 age-matched controls were investigated. Contrast discrimination was measured using established psychophysical procedures that differentiate MC and PC processing.

The on-road difficulties of older drivers and their relationship with self-reported motor vehicle crashes.

Objectives: To quantify the driving difficulties of older adults using a detailed assessment of driving performance and to link this with self-reported retrospective and prospective crashes.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: On-road driving assessment.

Influence of presbyopic corrections on driving-related eye and head movements.

Purpose: To investigate whether wearing different presbyopic vision corrections alters the pattern of eye and head movements when viewing and responding to driving-related traffic scenes.

Methods: Participants included 20 presbyopes (mean age: 56.1 +/- 5.

Different cognitive profiles for single compared with recurrent fallers without dementia.

Relationships between self-reported retrospective falls and cognitive measures (executive function, reaction time [RT], processing speed, working memory, visual attention) were examined in a population based sample of older adults (n = 658). Two of the choice RT tests involved inhibiting responses to either targets of a specific color or location with hand and foot responses. Potentially confounding demographic variables, medical conditions, and postural sway were controlled for in logistic regression models, excluding participants with possible cognitive impairment.

Deconstructing the "reign of error": interpersonal warmth explains the self-fulfilling prophecy of anticipated acceptance.

People's expectations of acceptance often come to create the acceptance or rejection they anticipate. The authors tested the hypothesis that interpersonal warmth is the behavioral key to this acceptance prophecy: If people expect acceptance, they will behave warmly, which in turn will lead other people to accept them; if they expect rejection, they will behave coldly, which will lead to less acceptance. A correlational study and an experiment supported this model.

A comparison of the hazard perception ability of matched groups of healthy drivers aged 35 to 55, 65 to 74, and 75 to 84 years.

We examined differences in response latencies obtained during a validated video-based hazard perception driving test between three healthy, community-dwelling groups: 22 mid-aged (35-55 years), 34 young-old (65-74 years), and 23 old-old (75-84 years) current drivers, matched for gender, education level, and vocabulary. We found no significant difference in performance between mid-aged and young-old groups, but the old-old group was significantly slower than the other two groups. The differences between the old-old group and the other groups combined were independently mediated by useful field of view (UFOV), contrast sensitivity, and simple reaction time measures.

Interaction between visual status, driver age and distracters on daytime driving performance.

This study investigated the effects of visual status, driver age and the presence of secondary distracter tasks on driving performance. Twenty young (M=26.8years) and 19 old (M=70.

Drivers' and cyclists' experiences of sharing the road: incidents, attitudes and perceptions of visibility.

This study explored the beliefs and attitudes of cyclists and drivers regarding cyclist visibility, use of visibility aids and crashes involving cyclists and motorists. Data are presented for 1460 participants (622 drivers and 838 cyclists) and demonstrate that there are high rates of cyclist-vehicle crashes, many of which were reported to be due to the driver not seeing the cyclist in time to avoid a collision. A divergence in attitudes was also apparent in terms of attribution of responsibility in cyclist-vehicle conflicts on the road.

Positive self-statements: power for some, peril for others.

Positive self-statements are widely believed to boost mood and self-esteem, yet their effectiveness has not been demonstrated. We examined the contrary prediction that positive self-statements can be ineffective or even harmful. A survey study confirmed that people often use positive self-statements and believe them to be effective.

Effect of presbyopic vision corrections on perceptions of driving difficulty.

Objectives: As the population ages, more people will be wearing presbyopic vision corrections when driving. However, little is known about the impact of these vision corrections on driving performance. This study aimed to determine the subjective driving difficulties experienced when wearing a range of common presbyopic contact lens and spectacle corrections.

Effect of amblyopia on the Developmental Eye Movement test in children.

Purpose: To investigate the functional impact of amblyopia in children, the performance of amblyopic and age-matched control children on a clinical test of eye movements was compared. The influence of visual factors on test outcome measures was explored.

Methods: Eye movements were assessed with the Developmental Eye Movement (DEM) test, in a group of children with amblyopia (n = 39; age, 9.

Seeing pedestrians at night: visual clutter does not mask biological motion.

Although placing reflective markers on pedestrians' major joints can make pedestrians more conspicuous to drivers at night, it has been suggested that this "biological motion" effect may be reduced when visual clutter is present. We tested whether extraneous points of light affected the ability of 12 younger and 12 older drivers to see pedestrians as they drove on a closed road at night. Pedestrians wore black clothing alone or with retroreflective markings in four different configurations.

Sunglasses, traffic signals, and color vision deficiencies.

Purpose: To determine (a) the effect of different sunglass tint colorations on traffic signal detection and recognition for color normal and color deficient observers, and (b) the adequacy of coloration requirements in current sunglass standards.

Methods: Twenty color-normals and 49 color-deficient males performed a tracking task while wearing sunglasses of different colorations (clear, gray, green, yellow-green, yellow-brown, red-brown). At random intervals, simulated traffic light signals were presented against a white background at 5 degrees to the right or left and observers were instructed to identify signal color (red/yellow/green) by pressing a response button as quickly as possible; response times and response errors were recorded.

Comparison of self-reported crashes, state crash records and an on-road driving assessment in a population-based sample of drivers aged 69-95 years.

Objective: The study evaluated associations between outcome measures used in driving research including self-reported crashes, state crash records, and an on-road driving test (ORT).

Method: A total of 750 community dwelling participants aged 69 to 95 were recruited via the electoral roll into a study on injury prevention. Of these, 509 were drivers, and data on self-reported crashes, and either state crash records, or an on-road assessment were available for 488.

Skeletal surveys in infants with isolated skull fractures.

Objective: The goal was to describe the utility of skeletal surveys and factors associated with both skeletal survey use and referral to child protective services for infants with skull fractures in the absence of significant intracranial injury.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for infants who were evaluated at a tertiary children's hospital because of an isolated, non-motor vehicle-related, skull fracture between 1997 and 2006. Logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations of demographic factors, clinical findings that raised suspicion for abuse (absence of trauma history, changing history, delay in care, previous child protective services involvement, and other cutaneous injuries), and fracture type (simple versus complex) with the primary outcomes of skeletal survey use and reports to child protective services.

This mood is familiar and I don't deserve to feel better anyway: mechanisms underlying self-esteem differences in motivation to repair sad moods.

Why are people with low self-esteem (LSE) less motivated than people with high self-esteem (HSE) to improve sad moods? The present research examined whether feelings of personal deservingness contribute to this difference. Four experiments with undergraduate participants involved a sad mood induction, a manipulation of personal deservingness, or both. Results suggested that (a) LSEs feel less deserving of positive outcomes and of positive moods than do HSEs, (b) feelings of personal deservingness can vary with the situation, and be lowered through reminders of social rejection and personal flaws, and (c) feeling relatively undeserving dampens LSEs', but not HSEs', motivation to repair sad moods.

The effect of simulated cataracts on drivers' hazard perception ability.

Purpose: We investigated the extent to which simulated cataracts slow a driver's ability to anticipate potential traffic hazards, a skill that has been found to correlate with crash risk. In previous studies, we found a significant correlation between contrast sensitivity and hazard perception in a sample of older drivers. The present study allowed us to determine the causal direction of this relationship.

Impact of simulated visual impairment on the cognitive test performance of young adults.

Aims: This study investigated the effect of simulated visual impairment on the speed and accuracy of performance on a series of commonly used cognitive tests.

Methods: Cognitive performance was assessed for 30 young, visually normal subjects (M = 22.0 +/- 3.

Effect of amblyopia on self-esteem in children.

Purpose: In an investigation of the psychosocial impact of amblyopia on children, the perceived self-esteem of children who had been treated for amblyopia was compared with that of age-matched controls. The influence of amblyopia condition or treatment factors that may impact self-perception scores was also explored.

Methods: Children with a history of treatment for amblyopia (n = 47; age 9.

On-road driving performance by persons with hemianopia and quadrantanopia.

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the on-road driving performance of drivers with hemianopia and quadrantanopia compared with age-matched controls.

Methods: Participants included persons with hemianopia or quadrantanopia and those with normal visual fields. Visual and cognitive function tests were administered, including confirmation of hemianopia and quadrantanopia through visual field testing.