Dr Vanessa Beanland, Our People, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand

Email vanessa.beanland@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 4150

Dr Vanessa Beanland’s broad research areas are applied cognitive psychology and human factors. She uses a combination of research approaches, including laboratory experiments, driving simulator and on-road studies, field observations, incident analyses, surveys interviews and focus groups.

Much of her 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.

Vanessa currently serves as Director of the Otago Transport Research Network (a University Research Theme) and Chair of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of New Zealand. She served as an Associate Editor for the journal Safety Science from 2017 to 2021.

Vanessa completed a PhD in experimental cognitive psychology at The Australian National University in 2011, and from 2015–2018 she held an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award, examining visual attention in the context of driving. She previously worked at Monash University Accident Research Centre and the University of the Sunshine Coast Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems before moving to the University of Otago in June 2018.

Teaching

PSYC 212 Social and Applied Psychology
PSYC 326 Human Factors and Ergonomics

Research interests

Driver distraction, inattention and fatigue
Driver training and driver licensing policy
Safety of vulnerable road users (e.g. motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians) and horse riders
Usability of human-machine interfaces
Visual attention and visual search for information in real-world contexts (e.g. driving)
Inattentional blindness and Change blindness

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Publications

Beanland, V., & Huemmer, I. (2021). The effectiveness of advanced driver training [Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency research report 677]. Commissioned by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. Wellington, New Zealand: Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency. 69p. Retrieved from https://www.nzta.govt.nz

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

Filtness, A. J., Beanland, V., Miller, K. A., Larue, G. S., & Hawkins, A. (2020). Sleep loss and change detection in simulated driving. Chronobiology International, 37(9-10), (pp. 1430-1440). doi: 10.1080/07420528.2020.1821043

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

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.

Authored Book - Research

Chapter in Book - Research

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.

Chapter in Book - Research

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.

Chapter in Book - Research

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.

Chapter in Book - Research

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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

Journal - Research Article

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 Article

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

Journal - Research Other