Level 3 Research Statistics - Assignment Example

Online journal articles Websites of the regulatory bodies Medical websites Reliability and Validity of information Printed information Oral information Electronic information Based on facts Data collection procedure explained Analysis made open to verification Concurs with other independently published material. Cross verify by asking multiple individuals Verify against previously ascertained data Based on facts Data collection procedure explained Analysis made open to verification Concurs with other independently published material. 5. Introduction: The effects of alcohol on various cognitive processes are well documented.

There is evidence that even at low BAC’s there can be significant impairing of key psycho-motor functions that are implicated in driving, including vision, perception, tracking, attention and information processing. The effects of alcohol are also affected by habit, gender, age, weight and emotional state. Burns and Moskowitz (1977) have found that chronic drinkers show less impairment on the surface as compared to occasional drinkers. The same alcohol consumption leads to differing BAC levels depending on the weight of the drinker.

Women are more likely to show impairment as compared to men with the same amount of alcohol consumption (Howat et. al.; 1991). . Vision is significantly impaired by alcohol consumption, in that there is a tendency to focus centrally, with less use of peripheral vision; such that the ability to us peripheral vision is impaired (Buikhuisen and Jongman, 1972). Apparently, alcohol consumption causes a narrowing of the field of vision. Other data has shown that this impairment, though significant, is not enough to account for crashes.

Other evidence suggests that the problem is more explainable by the impairment of perception. Alcohol reduces the individuals’ ability to process perceptually complex information. This may explain why simple driving conditions are not particularly impaired, as compared to complex conditions brought about by multiple stimuli present on city streets (Adams and Brown, 1975). Tracking – in driving conditions the steering of the vehicle – is a very complex activity under the best of circumstances.

Even minor impairment seems to have significant effects of steering behaviour as it requires activation of multiple faculties (Drew et al., 1959). The mind stores information under different classifications, creating a complex mental structure. When requires, activation of the relevant parts of this structure allow us to use the necessary information. Alcohol inhibits this ability of the brain to access information; and also makes the interpretation of presented information more difficult (Attwood, 1978).

It has been found that response times lengthen under the effect of alcohol, an effect seen more prominently as the number of stimuli keeps increasing (Boyd et al., 1962). Attention is among the first of the psycho-motor abilities to be affected by alcohol, making the task of gathering information more