Email vanessa.beanland@otago.ac.nz
Tel 64 3 479 4150
Dr Vanessa Beanland’s research focuses on how people detect, process and use information in real-world contexts, with a particular emphasis on transport safety. This includes topics such as how drivers detect potential hazards, or how pedestrians decide whether it is safe to cross an intersection or railway crossing. Her research uses diverse methods, from highly-controlled lab experiments to driving simulators, to field studies and on-road research using instrumented vehicles.
She currently serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Safety Science. She is a member of the Australasian College of Road Safety and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of New Zealand.
Vanessa completed a PhD in experimental cognitive psychology at The Australian National University in 2011. After completing her PhD she shifted to conducting applied human factors research, beginning with a research position at the Monash University Accident Research Centre. From 2015-2018 she held an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award, examining visual attention in the context of driving, before joining the University of Otago as a Senior Lecturer in June 2018.
Teaching
Research interests
- Visual attention and visual search for information in real-world contexts (e.g. driving)
- Driver distraction and inattention
- Safety of vulnerable road users (e.g. motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians) and horse riders
- Usability of human-machine interfaces
Find out more about Dr Beanland’s research interests
Publications
Walker, G., Mendes, L. M. N., Lenne, M., Young, K., Stevens, N., Read, G., Beanland, V., … Salmon, P. (2021). Modelling driver decision-making at railway level crossings using the abstraction decomposition space. Cognition, Technology & Work. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10111-020-00659-4
Read, G. J. M., Beanland, V., Stanton, N. A., Grant, E., Stevens, N., Lenné, M. G., … Salmon, P. M. (2021). From interfaces to infrastructure: Extending ecological interface design to re-design rail level crossings. Cognition, Technology & Work, 23, 3-21. doi: 10.1007/s10111-019-00583-2
Berber, E., Beanland, V., Clacy, A., & Read, G. J. M. (2020). Performance pathways in the sport of dressage: A systems ergonomics approach. In P. M. Salmon, S. McLean, C. Dallat, N. Mansfield, C. Solomon & A. Hulme (Eds.), Human factors and ergonomics in sport: Applications and future directions. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781351060073
Shenfield, L., Beanland, V., Filtness, A., & Apthorp, D. (2020). The impact of sleep loss on sustained and transient attention: an EEG study. PeerJ, 8, e8960. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8960
Shenfield, L., Beanland, V., & Apthorp, D. (2020). Temporal predictability does not impact attentional blink performance: effects of fixed vs. random inter-trial intervals. PeerJ, 8, e8677. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8677
Authored Book - Research
Read, G. J. M., Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., Stanton, N. A., & Salmon, P. M. (2017). Integrating human factors methods and systems thinking for transport analysis and design. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 314p.
Chapter in Book - Research
Berber, E., Beanland, V., Clacy, A., & Read, G. J. M. (2020). Performance pathways in the sport of dressage: A systems ergonomics approach. In P. M. Salmon, S. McLean, C. Dallat, N. Mansfield, C. Solomon & A. Hulme (Eds.), Human factors and ergonomics in sport: Applications and future directions. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781351060073
Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., & Underwood, G. (2015). Can drivers’ expectations and behaviour around motorcycles be influenced by exposure? In L. Rößger, M. G. Lenné & G. Underwood (Eds.), Increasing motorcycle conspicuity: Design and assessment of interventions to enhance rider safety. (pp. 165-182). Ashgate.
Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., & Rößger, L. (2015). Psychological factors in seeing motorcylces. In L. Rößger, M. G. Lenné & G. Underwood (Eds.), Increasing motorcycle conspicuity: Design and assessment of interventions to enhance rider safety. (pp. 21-50). Abingdon, UK: Ashgate.
Lenné, M. G., Beanland, V., Salmon, P. M., Filtness, A., & Stanton, N. A. (2013). Checking for trains: An on-road study of what drivers actually do at level crossings. In N. Dadashi, A. Scott, J. R. Wilson & A. Mills (Eds.), Rail human factors: Supporting reliability, safety and cost reduction. (pp. 53-59). Leiden, The Netherlands: CRC Press.
Journal - Research Article
Walker, G., Mendes, L. M. N., Lenne, M., Young, K., Stevens, N., Read, G., Beanland, V., … Salmon, P. (2021). Modelling driver decision-making at railway level crossings using the abstraction decomposition space. Cognition, Technology & Work. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s10111-020-00659-4
Read, G. J. M., Beanland, V., Stanton, N. A., Grant, E., Stevens, N., Lenné, M. G., … Salmon, P. M. (2021). From interfaces to infrastructure: Extending ecological interface design to re-design rail level crossings. Cognition, Technology & Work, 23, 3-21. doi: 10.1007/s10111-019-00583-2
Shenfield, L., Beanland, V., Filtness, A., & Apthorp, D. (2020). The impact of sleep loss on sustained and transient attention: an EEG study. PeerJ, 8, e8960. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8960
Shenfield, L., Beanland, V., & Apthorp, D. (2020). Temporal predictability does not impact attentional blink performance: effects of fixed vs. random inter-trial intervals. PeerJ, 8, e8677. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8677
Berber, E., McLean, S., Beanland, V., Read, G. J. M., & Salmon, P. M. (2020). Defining the attributes for specific playing positions in football match-play: A complex systems approach. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(11-12), 1248-1258. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1768636
Beanland, V., Walsh, E. I., & Pammer, K. (2020). Undergraduate students' perceptions of and engagement in research participation to fulfill an introductory psychology course requirement. Teaching of Psychology, 47(1), 74-83. doi: 10.1177/0098628319888115
Gunson, H. P., Beanland, V., & Salmon, P. M. (2019). Road-related anger in motorcyclists versus car drivers. Transportation Research Part F, 62, 327-338. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2019.01.006
Beanland, V., & Wynne, R. A. (2019). Effects of roadside memorials on drivers' risk perception and eye movements. Cognitive Research, 4, 32. doi: 10.1186/s41235-019-0184-1
Salmon, P. M., Read, G. J. M., Beanland, V., Thompson, J., Filtness, A. J., Hulme, A., … Johnston, I. (2019). Bad behaviour or societal failure? Perceptions of the factors contributing to drivers' engagement in the fatal five driving behaviours. Applied Ergonomics, 162-171. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2018.08.008
Wynne, R. A., Beanland, V., & Salmon, P. M. (2019). Systematic review of driving simulator validation studies. Safety Science, 117, 138-151. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2019.04.004
Salmon, P. M., Read, G. J. M., Stevens, N., Walker, G. H., Beanland, V., McClure, R., … Stanton, N. A. (2019). Using the abstraction hierarchy to identify how the purpose and structure of road transport systems contributes to road trauma. Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 3, 100067. doi: 10.1016/j.trip.2019.100067
Beanland, V., Grant, E., Read, G. J. M., Stevens, N., Thomas, M., Lenné, M. G., … Salmon, P. M. (2018). Challenging conventional rural rail level crossing design: Evaluating three new systems thinking-based designs in a driving simulator. Safety Science, 110, 100-114. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2018.03.002
Beanland, V., Tan, C. H., & Christensen, B. K. (2018). The unexpected killer: Effects of stimulus threat and negative affectivity on inattentional blindness. Cognition & Emotion, 32(6), 1374-1381. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2017.1394269
Pammer, K., Raineri, A., Beanland, V., Bell, J., & Borzycki, M. (2018). Expert drivers are better than non-expert drivers at rejecting unimportant information in static driving scenes. Transportation Research Part F, 59, 389-400. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2018.09.020
Filtness, A. J., & Beanland, V. (2018). Sleep loss and change detection in driving scenes. Transportation Research Part F, 57, 10-22. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2017.10.003
Stephens, A. N., Beanland, V., Candappa, N., Mitsopoulos-Rubens, E., Corben, B., & Lenné, M. G. (2017). A driving simulator evaluation of potential speed reductions using two innovative designs for signalised urban intersections. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 98, 25-36. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.022
Cox, J. A., Beanland, V., & Filtness, A. J. (2017). Risk and safety perception on urban and rural roads: Effects of environmental features, driver age and risk sensitivity. Traffic Injury Prevention, 18(7), 703-710. doi: 10.1080/15389588.2017.1296956
Beanland, V., & Hansen, L. J. (2017). Do cyclists make better drivers? Associations between cycling experience and change detection in road scenes. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 106, 420-427. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2017.07.013
Beanland, V., Salmon, P. M., Filtness, A. J., Lenné, M. G., & Stanton, N. A. (2017). To stop or not to stop: Contrasting compliant and non-compliant driver behaviour at rural rail level crossings. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 108, 209-219. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2017.09.004
Beanland, V., Filtness, A. J., & Jeans, R. (2017). Change detection in urban and rural driving scenes: Effects of target type and safety relevance on change blindness. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 100, 111-122. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2017.01.011
Horwood, S., & Beanland, V. (2016). Inattentional blindness in older adults: Effects of attentional set and to-be-ignored distractors. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 78(3), 818-828. doi: 10.3758/s13414-015-1057-4
Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., Salmon, P. M., & Stanton, N. A. (2016). Variability in decision-making and critical cue use by different road users at rail level crossings. Ergonomics, 59(6), 754-766. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2015.1095356
Beanland, V., Le, R. K., & Byrne, J. E. M. (2016). Object-scene relationships vary the magnitude of target prevalence effects in visual search. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 42(6), 766-775. doi: 10.1037/xhp0000183
Mulvihill, C. M., Salmon, P. M., Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., Read, G. J. M., Walker, G. H., & Stanton, N. A. (2016). Using the decision ladder to understand road user decision making at actively controlled rail level crossings. Applied Ergonomics, 56, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.02.013
Beanland, V., & Chan, E. H. C. (2016). The relationship between sustained inattentional blindness and working memory capacity. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 78(3), 808-817. doi: 10.3758/s13414-015-1027-x
Young, K. L., Lenné, M. G., Beanland, V., Salmon, P. M., & Stanton, N. A. (2015). Where do novice and experienced drivers direct their attention on approach to urban rail level crossings? Accident Analysis & Prevention, 77, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2015.01.017
Füssl, E., Oberlader, M., Beanland, V., Spyropoulou, I., Lenné, M. G., Joshi, S., … Carvalhais, J. (2015). Methodological development of a specific tool for assessing acceptability of assistive systems of powered two-wheeler-riders. IET Intelligent Transport Systems, 9(1), 12-21. doi: 10.1049/iet-its.2014.0026
Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., & Underwood, G. (2014). Safety in numbers: Target prevalence affects the detection of vehicles during simulated driving. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 76(3), 805-813. doi: 10.3758/s13414-013-0603-1
Beanland, V., Sellbom, M., & Johnson, A. K. (2014). Personality domains and traits that predict self-reported aberrant driving behaviours in a southeastern US university sample. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 72, 184-192. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2014.06.023
Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., Candappa, N., & Corben, B. (2013). Gap acceptance at stop-controlled T-intersections in a simulated rural environment. Transportation Research Part F, 20, 80-89. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2013.05.006
Beanland, V., Fitzharris, M., Young, K. L., & Lenné, M. G. (2013). Driver inattention and driver distraction in serious casualty crashes: Data from the Australian National Crash In-depth Study. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 54, 99-107. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2012.12.043
Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., Fuessl, E., Oberlader, M., Joshi, S., Bellet, T., … Underwood, G. (2013). Acceptability of rider assistive systems for powered two-wheelers. Transportation Research Part F, 19, 63-76. doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2013.03.003
Beanland, V., & Pammer, K. (2012). Minds on the blink: The relationship between inattentional blindness and attentional blink. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 74(2), 322-330. doi: 10.3758/s13414-011-0241-4
Beanland, V., Allen, R. A., & Pammer, K. (2011). Attending to music decreases inattentional blindness. Consciousness & Cognition, 20(4), 1282-1292. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.04.009
Beanland, V., & Pammer, K. (2010). Looking without seeing or seeing without looking? Eye movements in sustained inattentional blindness. Vision Research, 50, 977-988. doi: 10.1016/j.visres.2010.02.024
Journal - Research Other
Beanland, V., Goode, N., Salmon, P. M., & Lenné, M. G. (2013). Is there a case for driver training? A review of the efficacy of pre- and post-licence driver training. Safety Science, 51(1), 127-137. doi: 10.1016/j.ssci.2012.06.021
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper
Filtness, A. J., Beanland, V., Miller, K. A., Larue, G. S., & Hawkins, A. (2020). Sleep loss and change detection in simulated driving. Chronobiology International, Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1821043
Beanland, V., & Wynne, R. A. (2019). Does familiarity breed competence or contempt? Effects of driver experience, road type and familiarity on hazard perception. Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 63(1), (pp. 2006-2010). doi: 10.1177/1071181319631277
Wynne, R. A., Beanland, V., Read, G. J. M., & Salmon, P. M. (2019). You look familiar: Learner driver hazard identification on familiar and unfamiliar roads. Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 63(1), (pp. 2001-2005). doi: 10.1177/1071181319631291
Salmon, P. M., Read, G. J. M., Beanland, V., Thompson, J., Filtness, A., & Johnston, I. (2017). From on high? A systems analysis of the contributory factors that lead to the fatal five behaviours. Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC). Retrieved from http://acrs.org.au/publications/acrs-conference-papers/
Beanland, V., Grant, E., Read, G. J. M., Stevens, N., Thomas, M., Lenné, M. G., … Salmon, P. M. (2017). Applying Ecological Interface Design principles to the design of rural highway-rail grade crossing infrastructure. Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 61(1), (pp. 1887-1891). doi: 10.1177/1541931213601953
Read, G. J. M., Salmon, P. M., Beanland, V., Lenné, M. G., & Stanton, N. A. (2017). Integrating human factors and systems thinking for transport design: Rail level crossing case study. Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC). Retrieved from http://acrs.org.au/publications/acrs-conference-papers/
Beanland, V., Pammer, K., Śledziowska, M., & Stone, A. (2015). Drivers' attitudes and knowledge regarding motorcycle lane filtering practices. Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Conference (ARSC). Retrieved from http://acrs.org.au/publications/acrs-conference-papers/
Mulvihill, C. M., Salmon, P. M., Lenné, M. G., Beanland, V. C., & Stanton, N. A. (2014). A comparison of compliant and non-compliant decision making at actively controlled rail level crossings under the decision ladder. Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Research, Policy and Education (ARSRPE) Conference. Retrieved from http://acrs.org.au/publications/conference-papers/
Lenné, M. G., Mitsopoulos-Rubens, E., Candappa, N., & Beanland, V. (2014). Drivers' response to dynamic gap assistance signs at simulated rural unsignalised T-intersections. Proceedings of the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 58(1), (pp. 2240-2244). doi: 10.1177/1541931214581430
