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Adaptive strategy changes as a function of task demands: a study of car drivers
Fokie Cnossen1, Theo Meijman, Talib Rothengatter
1Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. f.cnossen@ppsw.rug.nl
Ergonomics
|December 9, 2003
Summary
Drivers prioritize route-finding tasks over unrelated ones, like working memory tasks, when driving. This suggests navigation systems should present information clearly to maintain driver focus and safety.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Cognitive Psychology
- Traffic Safety
Background:
- Multitasking while driving presents challenges, with mixed research on its impact on primary driving performance.
- Adaptive strategies like speed reduction are observed, but the influence of secondary task type is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if drivers prioritize secondary tasks directly related to driving (e.g., map reading) over those unrelated (e.g., working memory tasks).
- To test the hypothesis that task relevance influences driver resource allocation under varying traffic densities.
Main Methods:
- A driving simulator study involving 20 participants.
- Participants completed a working memory (WM) task and a map reading (MAP) task under low and high traffic density conditions.
Main Results:
- Drivers neglected the WM task more than the MAP task in high-demand situations.
- Map reading led to increased swerving, indicating drivers attended to the map despite driving demands.
Conclusions:
- Drivers are highly motivated to acquire route information.
- Route guidance (RG) systems should optimize information presentation for immediate comprehension and minimal driver distraction.
