Automatic for the People Trivia Quiz

Answer: White Line Fever

The term describes a state where the person driving the vehicle for a long distance can do so without consciously thinking about it. In this scenario the driver's thoughts can drift elsewhere but their brain is still able to process data about the road, the events around the themselves and the control of the vehicle on a subconscious level.

This is a common form of automaticity which, as the above indicates, is the ability to perform complex tasks without being aware, consciously, of the process that is involved. While the term "road hypnosis" was first coined in 1921, it was a study by Stanford University professor, Walter Miles, that brought greater attention to the issue. In his 1929 paper "Sleeping with the Eyes Open" he suggests that motorists could possibly be enjoying micro-sleeps while still being able to navigate their vehicle.

The work was further developed by G.W. Williams in his 1963 report "Highway hypnosis: An hypothesis" for the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis and, later, it was extended into the mid-1980s by Stanford University's Ernest "Jack" Hilgard, who promoted the concept that this hypnosis was simply an altered state of consciousness. This led to the theory that there is more than one stream of consciousness and, in the case of the above motorist, one stream controlled the vehicle while the other dealt with other matters.

The term "highway hypnosis", in contemporary scientific literature, is not used as frequently, and has been replaced with the acronym DWAM - driving without attention mode.

(Photo) The two colours represents both sides of the answers. Red is for rage and the white is obvious.

Answer: Monotonous scenery

One of the creators of highway hypnosis, a situation in which a car driver can travel for a lengthy distance, respond adequately to the events around them and have no conscious recollection of having done so, is sensory deprivation, in particular, the absence of variation in visual stimuli. Hence, staring out of a window at a landscape that offers little in the way of change is a contributing factor.

That's not to say that the above is the sole factor. Other components may be the fatigue of the driver, the fact that he may be in the car alone or with a passenger that is asleep. The driver may be too relaxed or, at the other end of the scale, too stressed. The first may lead to the mind wandering, the latter to focus on the cause of the stress.

Whilst monotonous scenery is the answer to this question, it may not be the number one cause. In the 2005 publication "Traffic & Transport Psychology" by Geoffrey Underwood, the 37th chapter, titled "Driving Without Awareness" indicates that experimental studies point to the experience of the driver and the predictability of the journey as being the chief antagonists. The view here is that the more experienced the driver and the better their knowledge of the route to be taken, then, the higher the probability of highway hypnosis.

(Photo) The spirals are symbol of hypnosis.

Answer: Staring intently at the road

In his paper "Explaining Highway Hypnosis: Experimental evidence for the role of eye movements" (1978) A.H Werthelm indicates that highway hypnosis is a frequent occurrence but also states that current theories are unable to, adequately, explain the nature or the origin of the condition. What he does say is that it produces a lowered state of alertness, that it may create a trance-like state in the driver and that it may be a precursor to that person falling asleep.

Werthelm focuses on (no pun intended here) eye movement and the ability of the driver to perform a range of these to combat this syndrome. To this end, he explains that drivers whose eyes may roll back, that are squinting or half closed or are staring too intently at certain points just in front of the car are likely to be drifting away from being fully alert.

Answer: Yes

Some of the elements that contribute to highway hypnosis, a state where drivers are likely to become less alert, are the predictability of the journey and monotonous scenery. A good quality road, particularly one that is long and straight, has the potential to offer both of these conditions. In an effort to combat this, authorities will seek to alternate between smooth and course asphalt tops, provide turns or bends on monotonous stretches of road and create noticeable vibrations. An example of the latter is conducted on rural highways in Western Australia where small rumble strips, also known as Audible Tactile Line Markings (ATLM), are run along the sides of the road. These make a distinct sound when the car's wheel touches them, alerting the driver that they may be drifting out of lane.

It is not just the road that will create a state for highway hypnosis, fatigue will play a role, which is why drivers are advised that they should stop and rest, or do some light exercise every two to three hours. Engaging in conversation with your passenger will also help or singing out loud, if you're alone in the car. Chewing gum or dried fruit may also reduce the risk of highway hypnosis.

Answer: Muscle memory

This definition was taken directly from Wikipedia; "Automaticity is the ability to do things without occupying the mind with the low-level details required, allowing it to become an automatic response pattern." This cycle can be the result of a learned or practiced routine or one that is brought about by sheer repetition. Muscle memory fits snugly into this category.

Muscle memory involves the fusion or consolidation of a task with the memory. This is done over time through repetition, to the point that the brain creates a long-term memory of it. This, then, enables the person to perform the task with little conscious thought or effort. It also means that they will be performing it more efficiently. There are many tasks that most people will perform in this manner everyday, walking being one of the best examples.

Answer: Energy

Bargh first started his work into automaticity in 1984 hence, his 1994 paper has a decade's worth of research in it. Whilst he proclaims that there four common characteristics to automatic actions, not all have to be present. The characteristics in a little more detail are:

Awareness - where he indicates that a person may be unaware of the mental process that is taking place.
Intentionality - the mental process may be something that the person does not initiate intentionally.
Efficiency - because the mental process is performed on a subconscious level it means that fewer mental resources are being utilized.
Controllability - the person may not have the ability to stop or alter a process after its initiation.

Answer: Unconscious competence

The name, "unconscious competence", was coined by David LaBerge and S. Jay Samuels in their 1974 paper "Toward a Theory of Automatic Information Processing in Reading". They described reading as a series in which visual information pieces are processed through a range of memory systems until they are comprehended. Their theory was that this processing, which occurred at each stage, is learned through two criteria - accuracy and automaticity. For accurate processing, attention is a necessary component but, for automatic processing it isn't.

Let's look at this on a practical level. You're reading this right now so, I will assume, you're a skilled reader. As you're reading this there are a multitude of tasks being undertaken at the same time - you're seeing the words, you're decoding them, comprehending the information that is being provided to you, you're relating this data to knowledge that you have previously gained, you're evaluating it, questioning it and you're trying to establish its usefulness to yourself... and the majority of these tasks you are performing, you are doing so automatically i.e. without consciously thinking about what you are doing. The more automatic that you are in this process, the more efficient you develop as a reader.

That said, this is a learned skill which means, at some point this was not automatic to you. G. Michael Pressley, who published "Reading Instruction That Works: The Case for Balanced Teaching" (1998), promotes the idea that when a child is learning to read or, more particularly, sound out words, it requires a great deal of mental effort. The more effort that is required to perform this task, leaves less consciousness for other cognitive thought. That includes being able to comprehend the words that they're sounding out. Consequently, the faster that child becomes more fluent in recognizing words, which means that they would then consume less mental capacity, the faster they will develop their comprehension skills.

(Photo) The sleeping kitten is representative of one being "out to it" i.e. unconscious.

Answer: Explicit attention

Humphrey's law, propounded by English psychologist George Humphrey, states that once a task has become automatized, conscious thought about the task, while performing it, impairs performance. He went on to elaborate that "No man skilled at a trade needs to put his constant attention on the routine work, if he does, the job is apt to be spoiled." A good example of this would be a golfer and their swing. They have practiced the routine and their swing for hours on the driving range. The point of it being that it becomes automatic and they don't have to think about it when they're in competition. Instead, their thought process turns to identifying where and how far they need to hit the ball, how much to allow for the elements, picture the shot in their mind, step up to the tee and complete the task. If, all of a sudden, this focus shifts to how far back they need to take the club or whether or not they're square at the point of contact, their focus has shifted from the automatic and there's a chance that they will not produce the desired result.

That is explicit attention at work. Humphrey developed his theory on the back of a poem, that is usually attributed to Katherine Craster (1841-74), called "The Centipede's Dilemma". In it, a mischievous toad asks the centipede which leg moves before the others. This is something that the centipede has never had to think about and now that it does, it becomes paralyzed and falls into a ditch.

Answer: Habit

The above definition of habit has been supplied by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. They also define tradition as "the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction". The latter does not imply that the action is involuntary.

In lay terms a habit has often been said to be an action done frequently. In the eyes of British psychology professor, Benjamin Gardner, from a psychological point of view, that definition is insufficient as it does not put forward why the habit occurs. In his 2012 paper "Habit as Automaticity, not Frequency", he proposes that "habits are actions that are frequently formed because they are initiated automatically". In short, actions that are repeated frequently will, eventually pass from a "" conscious reflective processing system to an automatic impulsive system.

He progresses to indicate that these impulses are triggered by environmental cues, and they will have next to no deliberation. The environmental cues are important, as this debunks the thought that habits are a matter of frequency, rather, he states, that frequency is a product of the environmentally triggered habit. Here's an example; Catholics will, generally say the word "Amen" at the end of a prayer. This is done so often that the "Amen" becomes automatic. However, what is the frequency. A regular church goer is likely to attend mass each Sunday and would habitually provide the response to the prayer's end. But what of the church goer who, now, only attends church for weddings, funerals or, say, Christmas mass. The response is still ingrained but the habit kicks in at a different frequency.

Answer: The general consensus is yes

On the surface this may look like it has strayed from the theme of the quiz but, it really is another logical step in this process... if the subconscious does play a part in our actions, why can't it play a part in our decision-making process?

For a long time the subconscious was viewed as the lazy sibling in the brain's family. It was seen, primarily, as the vault where we stored our memories, our dreams and our implicit memories. The latter being those memories that allow us to do such mundane tasks, such as walking, without having to think about them. However, research over the years by such distinguished minds as Freud, Jung and Lagan has laid the foundation for a re-think of the subconscious and the consensus, in respect to decision making, has shifted. The majority of psychologists are convinced that the subconscious does have an active role in problem solving and our creative processes. For example, how often have you gone to bed with an issue on your mind and woken up the next morning with an answer? How many times have you had that "Eureka" moment when a solution has presented itself without you actively thinking about it?