ABSTRACT
Perceptual psychology has followed several roads to the state of the art. The remnants of classical psychophysical assumptions are to be seen in human factors texts and journals as well as in perceptual texts. Human factors practitioners would be appropriately informed as to the nature of the higher order information used in driving, and driving screening measures would examine how well drivers pick-up and utilize the higher order dynamic information relevant to driving. Unlike "naked" egomotion, driving also involves the perception of the driver's "vehicular envelope" moving through a stable environment. Egomotion has been studied extensively as a source of information used to guide aircraft, automobiles, or other vehicles. With the sort of theoretical framework, automobile driving then emerges as a complex psychomotor process in which prior knowledge is combined with current sensory input. Thus, static acuity measures used in driving research and testing have close to zero ecological validity.
