TREC research addresses complex transportation problems by drawing on multiple disciplines, including engineering, planning, economics and design, from across the Portland State University campus. Use the search box at right to search for a specific project.
NOTE: If you're looking for projects from our partner campuses, use the NITC research search.
Research Highlights
Drivers’ Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Bicyclists: Intermodal Interactions and Implications for Road Safety
Tara Goddard
Psychology teaches us that implicit biases—attitudes we hold on a level below consciousness, and may not even be aware of—can have a heavy influence on split-second decisions. In a fast-paced activity like driving, with a lot of moving parts in a complex environment, we make those snap decisions all the time. There are obvious safety implications to this, particularly for the most vulnerable road users. That’s why TREC researchers are becoming more and more interested in studying implicit bia...
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Racial Bias in Drivers' Yielding Behavior at Crosswalks: Understanding the Effect
Kimberly Kahn
Led by Dr. Kimberly Kahn of Portland State University, the purpose of this investigation is to explore social identity-related factors that influence drivers’ behaviors in interactions with pedestrians at crosswalks. Dr. Kahn and her research team conducted a field experiment where black and white male and female pedestrians wore identical clothing and repeatedly crossed the same intersection in a systematic manner, with coders in the field marking drivers’ behaviors.
The initial study (Ex...
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