Detecting and Quantifying Mind Wandering during Simulated Driving.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Transportation Safety
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Mind wandering poses a significant risk to transportation safety, contributing to crashes and fatalities.
• Understanding the cognitive and physiological correlates of mind wandering during driving is crucial for enhancing safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of induced mind wandering on driving performance and electrophysiological measures.
• To explore the detectability of driver's internal cognitive states during continuous tasks like driving.

Main Methods:

• Participants engaged in a monotonous driving task over five days, with periodic auditory probes to self-report mind wandering.
• Driving performance was assessed by speed and lane variability.
• Electrophysiological data, including electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha band power and event-related potential (ERP) P3a component, were recorded.

Main Results:

• Self-reported mind wandering remained consistently high across participation days.
• Mind wandering was associated with decreased driving speed and lane variability compared to on-task performance.
• Electrophysiological analysis revealed increased EEG alpha power and reduced P3a ERP magnitude during mind wandering.

Conclusions:

• Mind wandering demonstrably affects driving performance and is physiologically detectable.
• The study supports the feasibility of monitoring drivers' internal cognitive states in real-time.
• Identifying mind wandering could lead to advanced driver attention assessment tools and safety interventions.