I was reading this article about behavioral economics vis a vis the financial crisis and came across this passage:

One group that does not value perceived losses differently than gains are individuals with autism, a disorder characterized by problems with social interaction. When tested, autistics often demonstrate strict logic when balancing gains and losses, but this seeming rationality may itself denote abnormal behavior. “Adhering to logical, rational principles of ideal economic choice may be biologically unnatural,” says Colin F. Camerer, a professor of behavioral economics at Caltech.

Tyler Cowen thinks this should be interpreted differently, but in any case, as any discussion of rational and irrational behavior inevitably leads me back to driving, it brought up something I hadn’t previously thought about: Autism and driving.

The National Autistic Society (based in the U.K.) has considered the issue in some detail. “As autism is a spectrum disorder,” they note, “it is impossible to say that people with autism either should or should not be allowed to drive. Some people with autism may find this skill extremely difficult to grasp, while others will be highly competent drivers.”

The famous cliche here is of Rain Man — which I realize is hardly representative and perhaps outright stereotypical — when the lead character Raymond, when faced with a “Don’t Walk” sign in the middle of an intersection, suddenly freezes.

The NAS notes in this regard: “People with an ASD also tend to be good at following rules, such as those in the Highway Code. However, sometimes other drivers may make mistakes regarding the rules of the road and it is important to try and stay calm in these situations.”

I loved this quote from Marc Segar (who has Asperger syndrome), and think it applies quite broadly:

“Driving is quite a bizarre skill to learn. How fast you pick up driving has nothing to do with your intelligence in other things. Some real dimwits are able to learn to drive in as few as five lessons whereas some really intelligent people can need as many as fifty lessons.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 2:04 pm and is filed under Traffic Culture, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.