Final answer:
The efficiency of processing driving information improves through experience and the development of automaticity, allowing for mental shortcuts known as heuristics. Over time, familiar tasks become automated, using less cognitive effort, while new or complex situations require conscious thought and effort.
Step-by-step explanation:
The efficiency with which a motorist processes driving information improves with experience and the development of automaticity. Initially, when learning to drive, one has to be consciously attentive to various tasks such as starting the car, braking, handling turns, and so on.
This requires cognitive effort, as each action forces the brain to work slowly and methodically. However, with time and repetition, these skills become encoded in the brain and can be performed automatically without conscious thought, a concept referred to as heuristics.
As a motorist continues to drive over time, the brain begins to employ heuristics, which are mental shortcuts that make processing information more efficient. Think of heuristics as the brain's way of creating 'rules of thumb' that allow for quick and effortless decision-making. Thus, navigating familiar routes can be done on 'autopilot,' where cognitive resources are conserved, and attention can be diverted elsewhere.
However, when confronted with new or complex situations, such as driving in an unfamiliar city, the brain must switch back to rational thinking, which requires effort and practice. Ultimately, the more one drives and becomes familiar with the environments and scenarios, the faster and more efficient the processing of driving information becomes. Engaging one's mental faculties by doing tasks manually, without over-reliance on technology, can also enhance cognitive processing, memory, and overall mental capacity.