ESTIMATES OF DRIVER MENTAL WORKLOAD: A LONG-TERM FIELD TRIAL OF TWO SUBSIDIARY TASKS
Two auditory subsidiary task measures of driver mental workload--delayed digit recall and random digit generation--were evaluated in a 4-year field trial. Van pool members performed the tasks for 2-minute periods while driving a mix of rural secondary roads, limited access expressways, high-density, limited-access urban drives, and downtown city streets on a daily commute from upstate New York to New York City. Data collected included the roadway being traveled, time of day, traffic conditions, vehicle density, speed, weather, brake applications, and driver's subjective difficulty rating. Subsidiary task degradation was a function of traffic density, average speed, and uncertainty. Weather conditions moderated these variables. Unpredictability of traffic appeared to be the major determinant of perceived difficulty. The digit recall task correlated with driver ratings of task difficulty and with a calculated driver workload index based on brake actuations per minute plus the log of vehicle speed. Although subjective difficulty ratings correlated with subsidiary task performance and with objective criteria of traffic density and speed, some dissociation was noted. Indications of workload homeostasis were evident, as drivers appeared to modify their performance to keep workload within a comfortable range.
-
Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1329271
-
Corporate Authors:
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
P.O. Box 1369
Santa Monica, CA United States 90406-1369 -
Authors:
- Zeitlin, L R
- Publication Date: 1995-9
Language
- English
Media Info
- Features: Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: p. 611-621
-
Serial:
- Human Factors
- Volume: 37
- Issue Number: 3
- Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
- ISSN: 0018-7208
- EISSN: 1547-8181
- Serial URL: http://hfs.sagepub.com/
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Behavior; Cognition; Driver errors; Drivers; Field studies; Performance; Research; Speed; Task analysis; Traffic congestion; Weather; Workload
- Uncontrolled Terms: Capacity; Degradation; Mental workload; Road conditions
- Old TRIS Terms: Field investigations; Task difficulty; Task performance
- Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00715372
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, ATRI
- Created Date: Jan 19 1996 12:00AM