Cognitive Underpinnings of Beliefs and Confidence in Beliefs about Fully Automated Vehicles

A study investigated the cognitive underpinnings of consumers’ beliefs and confidence in their beliefs about fully automated vehicles. Following previous research, opinions about self-driving cars tended to be mixed. The most negative views were held by consumers who had the least knowledge of self-driving cars. Low trust in technology was also associated with more negative views. Although consumers were generally confident in their views of self-driving cars, many were uninformed about them. Consumers’ confidence in their beliefs about self-driving cars was more strongly correlated with perceived knowledge and general confidence than real expertise. Thus, consumers’ confidence in their opinions about fully automated vehicles appears to be driven by largely superfluous cognitions. A mediation analysis suggests that general self-confidence influences judgmental confidence by affecting perceived judgment relevant knowledge. Participants’ confidence in negative beliefs about fully automated vehicles suggests their opinions will not be easily influenced via persuasion.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ugpti.org/resources/reports/details.php?id=947
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Utah, Salt Lake City

  Salt Lake City, UT  United States 

  Mountain-Plains Consortium

  North Dakota State University
  Fargo, ND  United States  58108

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Sanbonmatsu, David M
  • Strayer, David L
  • Yu, Zhenghui
  • Biondi, Francesco
  • Cooper, Joel M
• Publication Date: 2019-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 22p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Autonomous vehicles; Cognition; Consumer preferences; Consumers; Knowledge; Trust (Psychology)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01710503
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: MPC 19-388
• Contract Numbers: MPC-467
• Files: UTC, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 9 2019 11:27AM