Boring But Demanding: Using Secondary Tasks to Counter the Driver Vigilance Decrement for Partially Automated...

Area of Science:

• Human factors and cognitive psychology
• Transportation safety and automation

Background:

• The vigilance decrement, a decline in performance over time, is a significant challenge in partially automated driving (PAD) systems.
• Existing theories suggest vigilance decrement arises from task overload or underload, with differing predictions for the impact of secondary tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate secondary-task-based countermeasures for the vigilance decrement in simulated PAD.
• To understand the mechanisms underlying the vigilance decrement and enhance driver vigilance.

Main Methods:

• 117 participants monitored a simulated PAD task for 45 minutes, identifying hazardous vehicles.
• Three conditions were tested: driving-related secondary task (DR), non-driving-related secondary task (NDR), and a control (no secondary task).

Main Results:

• A significant vigilance decrement was observed across all conditions, indicated by slower responses, reduced detection rates, and increased stress.
• The non-driving-related secondary task (NDR) condition showed a mitigated vigilance decrement compared to the driving-related (DR) and control conditions.

Conclusions:

• The study provides evidence supporting both resource depletion and disengagement as contributors to the vigilance decrement.
• Infrequent, non-driving-related secondary tasks can serve as effective breaks to alleviate vigilance decrement in PAD systems.