Date of Award

12-2008

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Ron Van Houten

Second Advisor

Dr. Wayne Fuqua

Third Advisor

Dr. Heather McGee

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Campus Only

Abstract

Pedestrian safety is a serious concern at busy intersections and pedestrian campuses across the nation. While crosswalks and signs help pedestrians and motorists know where to cross, there is no standard protocol for pedestrians to signal drivers that they wish to use the crosswalks. This study examined the effects of two pedestrian prompts, Raised Hand and Extended Arm, and a baseline condition on motorists yielding behavior at uncontrolled crosswalks. Ten crosswalks were chosen from sites in Chicago and urban West Michigan. The two prompts were effective at increasing yielding significantly over a baseline condition. This study validates a component of a package intervention used in Van Houten, Malenfant, and Rollider (1985).

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