The Impact of Eye Movements and Cognitive Workload on Lateral Position Variability in Driving

The objective of this work was to understand the relationship between eye movements and cognitive workload in maintaining lane position while driving. Recent findings in driving research have found that, paradoxically, increases in cognitive workload decrease lateral position variability. If people drive where they look and drivers look more centrally with increased cognitive workload, then one could explain the decreases in lateral position variability as a result of changes in lateral eye movements. In contrast, it is also possible that cognitive workload brings about these patterns regardless of changes in eye movements. The authors conducted three experiments involving a fixed-base driving simulator to independently manipulate eye movements and cognitive workload. The results indicated that eye movements played a modest role in lateral position variability, whereas cognitive workload played a much more substantial role. Increases in cognitive workload decrease lane position variability independently from eye movements. These findings are discussed in terms of hierarchical control theory. These findings of this work could potentially be used to identify periods of high cognitive workload during driving.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720813480177
• Record URL:
  http://hfs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/55/5/1001
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00187208
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Ltd.
• Authors:
  • Cooper, Joel M
  • Medeiros-Ward, Nathan
  • Strayer, David L
• Publication Date: 2013-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1001-1014
• Serial:
  • Human Factors
  • Volume: 55
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0018-7208
  • EISSN: 1547-8181
  • Serial URL: http://hfs.sagepub.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cognition; Drivers; Driving; Driving simulators; Eye movements; Workload
• Uncontrolled Terms: Lane position
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01494462
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 26 2013 8:55AM