Testing of a Personal Computer-Based Secondary Task Procedure as a Surrogate for a Driving Simulator

This research was conducted to develop a personal computer-based study procedure (PCSP) to test reading time and understanding of traffic control devices such as changeable message signs (CMSs). This research effort was intended to show that a PCSP approach could be used to achieve comparable results as the Texas Transportation Institute’s driving simulator. The transportability of the PSCP approach would allow data to be collected at various locations to obtain regional data. A secondary loading task was developed for the PCSP where subjects were shown CMS messages while simultaneously deactivating randomly displayed buttons in an on-screen control panel. The secondary task could be varied by increasing or decreasing the rate the buttons appeared. One-hundred-twenty-six subjects were tested within the PCSP and driving simulator, and were subdivided into three subgroups to compare performance between the two systems for alternative CMS messages. Three levels of secondary task loading were selected for the PCSP: no secondary task, buttons displayed at a rate of 0.6 button/second, and at 0.9 button/second. Analysis revealed that essentially the same conclusions were reached regarding differences in average reading times for all three PCSP button display rates compared to those reached using the driver simulator. Actual numerical average reading times and subject comprehension between the two test procedures were the same between the PCSP and the driving simulator. All three levels of secondary task loading in the PCSP were found to be acceptable for use in studying CMS messages with comparable results as a fixed-base driving simulator.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Schrock, Steven D
  • Dudek, Conrad L
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2008-1-13 to 2008-1-17
• Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: DVD
• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p
• Monograph Title: TRB 87th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Control systems; Driving simulators; Information display systems; Operations; Personal computers; Testing; Training simulators; Variable message signs
• Uncontrolled Terms: Crash surrogates
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01099248
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 08-2998
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: May 21 2008 7:05AM