Effect of speed adaptation on performance in a self-paced tracking task.

12 Ss were required to perform a self-paced tracking task designed to simulate 'hazardous' road conditions. Those 6 Ss who had previously been exposed to a simple, high-speed version of the task travelled faster and made more errors on the hazardous task than 6 control Ss who performed the hazardous task throughout the experiment. The findings supplement earlier studies of the effect of speed adaptation on the judgment of speed and suggest that, in addition to perceptual distortions, an acquired motivation for speed may be an important factor in the behaviour of drivers leaving high-speed roads.