Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 28, 2025
Driving Simulation in the Clinic: Testing Visual Exploratory Behavior in Daily Life Activities in Patients with Visual Field Defects
Published on: September 18, 2012
Pilot Feasibility Study Examining Pupillary Response During Driving Simulation as a Measure of Cognitive Load in
Jamie S Myers1, Nesreen Alissa2, Melissa Mitchell3
1University of Kansas.
Objectives:
To test the feasibility of adding driving simulation tasks to measure visuospatial ability and processing speed to an existing neurocognitive battery for breast cancer survivors (BCSs).
Sample & Setting:
38 BCSs and 17 healthy controls from a cross-sectional pilot study conducted at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Methods & Variables:
Exploratory substudy measuring pupillary response, visuospatial ability, and processing speed during two 10-minute driving simulations (with or without n-back testing) in a sample of BCSs with self-reported cognitive complaints and healthy controls.
Results:
Feasibility of measurement of pupillary response during driving simulation was demonstrated. No between-group differences were noted for pupillary response during driving simulation. BCSs had greater visuospatial ability and processing speed performance difficulties than healthy controls during driving simulation without n-back testing and slower n-back response time.
Implications For Nursing:
Preliminary evidence showed a possible link between cancer/treatment on visuospatial ability and processing speed in BCSs.
