The present thesis includes two studies both investigating attention in cycling. The first study was conducted since the second study was meant to measure EEG activity in adolescents while cycling in real traffic. However due to ethical issues the second study was changed into a computer hazard perception task. Nonetheless the first study has added value since it tested the influence of physical activity on the attention score output of the NeuroSky Mindwave EEG device. It was found that physical activity seemed to influence the signal however, the device was able to distinguish between no task and arithmetic tasks with its attention output. Nonetheless, the results of study 1 suggest that the attention score of the Mindwave device is not usable for research since the found attention score was higher when doing nothing than when doing arithmetic tasks in the sitting condition. The second study investigated whether adolescents perceive danger differently than adults, whether their attention level differs for hazards and whether their reaction times towards possible hazards differ. The results of this study suggest that there are no differences between adults and adolescents. It is discussed that adolescents possibly have the same hazard perception skills and that the cause for their risky behaviour lies somewhere else. (Author/publisher)
Abstract