Deciphering Psychological-Physiological Mappings While Driving and Performing a Secondary Memory Task

An autonomic space model of sympathetic and parasympathetic influences on the heart has been proposed as a method of deciphering psychological-physiological mappings for driving-related tasks. In the current study, we explore the utility of the autonomic space model for deciphering mappings in a driving simulation environment by comparing a single-task driving-only condition to two dual-task, driving-with-a-secondary-workingmemory task conditions. Although limited by a small sample size, the results illustrate the advantages physiological measures can have over performance measures for detecting changes in the psychological process required for drivingrelated task performance. Future research will include a repetition of this same study with more subjects as well the collection of on-the-road autonomic nervous system data

Analysis of autonomic indexes on drivers' workload to assess the effect of visual ADAS on user experience and driving performance in different driving conditions

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADASs) allow information provision through visual, auditory, and haptic signals to achieve multidimensional goals of mobility. However, processing information from ADAS requires operating expenses of mental workload that drivers incur from their limited attentional resources. The change in driving condition can modulate drivers' workload and potentially impair drivers' interaction with ADAS. This paper shows how the measure of cardiac activity (heart rate and the indexes of autonomic nervous system (ANS)) could discriminate the influence of different driving conditions on drivers' workload associated with attentional resources engaged while driving with ADAS. Fourteen drivers performed a car-following task with visual ADAS in a simulated driving. Drivers' workload was manipulated in two driving conditions: one in monotonous condition (constant speed) and another in more active condition (variable speed). Results showed that drivers' workload was similarly affected, but the amount of attentional resources allocation was slightly distinct between both conditions. The analysis of main effect of time demonstrated that drivers' workload increased over time without the alterations in autonomic indexes regardless of driving condition. However, the main effect of driving condition produced a higher level of sympathetic activation on variable speed driving compared to driving with constant speed. Variable speed driving requires more adjustment of steering wheel movement (SWM) to maintain lane-keeping performance, which led to higher level of task involvement and increased task engagement. The proposed measures appear promising to help designing new adaptive working modalities for ADAS on the account of variation in driving condition

The Evolution of Autonomic Space as a Method of Mental Workload Assessment for Driving

Because heart rate lacks diagnosticity, an autonomic space approach for the assessment of mental workload has been proposed. In addition to increasing the capability to identify differences between tasks, the autonomic space approach can be used to make better inferences about the psychological processes involved. In this paper, the approach and its application to a simulated driving task are discussed, as well as suggestions for future research and its development

Stroke Patients’ Psychophysiological responses to Robot Training

Robotic interfaces are becoming increasingly common in motor rehabilitation, for they enable more intensive therapy. As the patient’s cognitive intent further enhances motor relearning, the robots have been usually combined with virtual reality (VR). In clinical environment the difficulty level of the training has to be ensured in a way to meet a particular patient’s performance capabilities, inducing appropriate motivation and arousal. While rehabilitation robots can provide objective information about the patient’s motor performance and VR-based game systems include real-time feedback, such systems do not offer insight into the patient’s psychological state (mood, motivation, engagement). Emotions experienced while playing computer games are reflected in physiological responses, which could be used to determine a patient’s level of enjoyment or frustration while training. The most commonly used psychophysiological responses are those of the autonomic nervous system: heart rate, skin conductance, respiration and skin temperature. Though autonomic nervous system responses are also influenced by any physical activity, their usefulness up to a certain level of physical load was confirmed. Stroke survivors seem to have weaker psychophysiological responses than healthy subjects. The disease itself can change the activity of the autonomic nervous system and other factors such as comorbidity and medication should be taken in consideration to influence psychophysiological measurements. Only skin conductance and skin temperature have been proven to be useful for psychological state estimation in stroke patients during robot-aided training in VR. Changes in heart rate primarily reflect physical activity while changes in respiration rate are small and unreliable. The psychophysiological measurements seem to be unreliable for assessing stroke patients’ psychological state during robot training in VR. Further studies are needed in this aspect of rehabilitation robotics

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 192

This bibliography lists 247 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in March 1979

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 171

This bibliography lists 186 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in August 1977

Are anxiety and fear separable emotions in driving?: laboratory study of behavioural and physiological responses to different driving environments

Research into anxiety and driving has indicated that those higher in anxiety are potentially more dangerous on the roads. However, simulator findings suggest that conclusions are mixed at best. It is possible that anxiety is becoming confused with fear, which has a focus on more clearly defined sources of threat from the environment, as opposed to the internal, thought-related process associated with anxiety. This research aimed to measure feelings of fear, as well as physiological and attentional reactions to increasing levels of accident risk. Trait anxiety was also measured to see if it interacted with levels of risk or its associated reactions. Participants watched videos of driving scenarios with varying levels of accident risk and had to rate how much fear they would feel if they were the driver of the car, whilst skin conductance, heart rate, and eye movements were recorded. Analysis of the data suggested that perceptions of fear increased with increasing levels of accident risk, and skin conductance reflected this pattern. Eye movements, when considered alongside reaction times, indicated different patterns of performance according to different dangerous situations. These effects were independent of trait anxiety, which was only associated with higher rates of disliking driving and use of maladaptive coping mechanisms on questionnaires. It is concluded that these results could provide useful evidence in support for training-based programs; it may also be beneficial to study trait anxiety within a more immersive driving environment and on a larger scale

The Psychology of Driving on Rural Roads: Development and Testing of a Model

Rural roads constitute the most dangerous road category with regard to the number of fatal accidents. In order to increase traffic safety on rural roads it is necessary to take into account not only their inherent properties but also their effect on behaviour. Gert Weller develops a psychological model for driving on rural roads which is validated in three empirical steps: laboratory, simulator and driving experiments. His results provide insight into the possibilities of how driving behaviour on rural roads can be influenced and give practical guidance for the enhancement of rural road safety. The book is written for psychologists in the fields of traffic psychology and human factors research, traffic engineers, road planners as well as for political decision makers in traffic planning departments.:1. Driving on Rural Roads: The Current Situation 2. Applying Existing Models to Driving on Rural Roads 2.1. A Framework 2.2. Individual Differences: Traits and Demographic Variables 2.3. Driving as a Self-Paced Task: Motivational Models 2.4. Perception and Information-Processing 3. A Psychological Model for Driving on Rural Roads 4. Empirical Validation 4.1. Overview and General Course of Events 4.2. The Laboratory Study: The Role of Perceived Road Characteristics 4.3. The Simulator Study: The Role of Cues and Affordances 4.4. On-the-Road Driving Tests: Behaviour and Accidents 5. Empirical Validation: Summary and Conclusion