A fresh look, new features and more internationally understandable than ever before: computer-generated items (CGI) as well as an abstract test form. For the first time in the history of the Vienna Test System!
Tradition Meets Innovation
SCHUHFRIED has a long tradition in driver aptitude diagnostics. One of the most frequently used tests in the Vienna Test System is the Adaptive Tachistoscopic Traffic Perception Test (ATAVT). Since September of this year, a new version– ATAVT-2 – has been available, combining all the proven advantages of its predecessor with additional improvements.
The ability to maintain an overview in complex situations is crucial in road traffic. Imagine a busy intersection: cars approaching from several directions, cyclists, pedestrians, traffic lights and road signs. Within fractions of a second, it must be decided which information is truly relevant – such as a child suddenly stepping onto a crosswalk – and which can be ignored at that moment.
This is precisely where ATAVT comes in. Gaining an overview is considered a specific aspect of attentional control: quickly recognizing relevant objects, retaining them briefly in memory and placing them in the correct context. ATAVT is popular among professional users because it is easy to understand and allows differentiated statements even in lower performance ranges. It is also particularly valuable because it reliably predicts success in practical driving tests.
Why a New Edition?
Until now, ATAVT used real photographs of traffic scenes in which critical stimuli – such as a pedestrian or an oncoming vehicle – had to be identified. With ATAVT-2, computer-generated items (CGI) are now used.
This change offers decisive advantages: content can be fully controlled and systematically varied. Target stimuli and difficulty levels can be precisely managed, and disruptive influences such as advertising boards or regional specifics are eliminated. Traffic signs can be adapted to international standards, specific groups of people or landscape types can be depicted in a targeted way and even different weather conditions can be taken into account. As a result, not only comparability increases, but also diagnostic validity – because the underlying cognitive processes can be linked more clearly to the task characteristics.
Another advantage is improved comprehensibility. Traffic terminology varies greatly worldwide: for example, what is called a “robot” in South Africa is known as a “stoplight” in the United States and a “traffic signal” in the United Kingdom. To avoid such misunderstandings, ATAVT-2 now supplements verbal response options with pictograms. These universally understandable symbols reduce language barriers and make test administration significantly easier.
New Possibilities with ATAVT-2
The new edition introduces several innovations:
Testing can be performed linearly, randomized or adaptively. The measurement precision to be achieved in adaptive testing can also be freely set in order to optimally align accuracy with the diagnostic question. A visual cue replaces the auditory version – eliminating the need for audio devices.
With the new abstract test form (S3), geometric figures are used for the first time. This opens up additional diagnostic perspectives beyond traffic-specific scenarios.
The Three Test Forms at a Glance
S1: Adaptive standard form – right-hand traffic
S2: Adaptive standard form – left-hand traffic
S3: Adaptive standard form – shapes (independent of traffic, for general attentional control)
This expands ATAVT-2’s scope of application: it remains an indispensable tool in traffic psychology and in the aptitude diagnostics of professional drivers—but is equally suitable for broader questions in general attention diagnostics.
Precise, Efficient and Internationally Applicable
ATAVT-2 offers five difficulty levels – from very easy to very difficult – as well as flexible starting parameters in adaptive modes. Depending on the test form, administration takes only 3 to 14 minutes.
Scoring is based on the proven predecessor version but has been expanded: in addition to the number of correct and total completed tasks, a test protocol, an adaptive progress chart, details of the termination criterion and an item analysis report are available.
With ATAVT-2, SCHUHFRIED presents a modernized, versatile and internationally deployable method that enables the assessment of overview capacity to be even more precise, practice-oriented and user-friendly – while of course meeting current standards such as those of the Testkuratorium and the German Driver Licensing Ordinance.
