Referential coding of steering-wheel button presses in a simulated driving cockpit.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Automotive Engineering

Background:

• Steering wheel controls are crucial for driver interaction.
• Understanding spatial coding of controls is vital for intuitive interface design.
• The influence of external visual cues on control mapping is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if steering wheel pushbuttons are spatially coded relative to an infotainment display.
• To determine the impact of the infotainment display's position on Simon effects.
• To explore the role of multiple frames of reference in driver response.

Main Methods:

• A simulated driving cockpit was used.
• Participants performed a go/no-go Simon task with left and right button presses.
• Experiments varied the presence and location of an infotainment display.

Main Results:

• In the absence of the display, Simon effects were similar for left and right responses.
• With the infotainment display present, Simon effects were reduced for responses on the display's side.
• This indicates a spatial coding relative to the infotainment display.

Conclusions:

• Steering wheel pushbutton responses are coded relative to both the steering wheel and salient objects like the infotainment display.
• Driver spatial representation and performance are influenced by multiple frames of reference.
• Interface design should consider the interplay of control mapping and environmental context.