The Effect of Cognitive Load on Auditory Susceptibility During Automated Driving

Objective We experimentally test the effect of cognitive load on auditory susceptibility during automated driving. Background In automated vehicles, auditory alerts are frequently used to request human intervention. To ensure safe operation, human drivers need to be susceptible to auditory information. Previous work found reduced susceptibility during manual driving and in a lesser amount during automated driving. However, in practice, drivers also perform nondriving tasks during automated driving, of which the associated cognitive load may further reduce susceptibility to auditory information. We therefore study the effect of cognitive load during automated driving on auditory susceptibility. Method Twenty-four participants were driven in a simulated automated car. Concurrently, they performed a task with two levels of cognitive load: repeat a noun or generate a verb that expresses the use of this noun. Every noun was followed by a probe stimulus to elicit a neurophysiological response: the frontal P3 (fP3), which is a known indicator for the level of auditory susceptibility. Results The fP3 was significantly lower during automated driving with cognitive load compared with without. The difficulty level of the cognitive task (repeat or generate) showed no effect. Conclusion Engaging in other tasks during automated driving decreases auditory susceptibility as indicated by a reduced fP3. Application Nondriving task can create additional cognitive load. Our study shows that performing such tasks during automated driving reduces the susceptibility for auditory alerts. This can inform designers of semi-automated vehicles (SAE levels 3 and 4), where human intervention might be needed

Busy and confused? High risk of missed alerts in the cockpit: An electrophysiological study

The ability to react to unexpected auditory stimuli is critical in complex settings such as aircraft cockpits or air traffic control towers, characterized by high mental load and highly complex auditory environments (i.e., many different auditory alerts). Evidences show that both factors can negatively impact auditory attention and prevent appropriate reactions. In the present study, 60 participants performed a simulated aviation task varying in terms of mental load (no, low, high) concurrently to a tone detection paradigm in which the complexity of the auditory environment (i.e., auditory load) was manipulated (1, 2 or 3 different tones). We measured both detection performance (miss, false alarm, d’) and brain activity (event-related potentials) associated with the target tone. Our results showed that both mental and auditory loads affected target tone detection performance. Importantly, their combined effects had a large impact on the percentage of missed target tones. While, in the no mental load condition, miss rate was very low with 1 (0.53%) and 2 tones (1.11%), it increased drastically with 3 tones (24.44%), and this effect was accentuated as mental load increased, yielding to the higher miss rate in the 3-tone paradigm under high mental load conditions (68.64%). Increased mental and auditory loads and miss rates were associated with disrupted brain responses to the target tone, as shown by reduced P3b amplitude. In sum, our results highlight the importance of balancing mental and auditory loads to maintain efficient reactions to alarms in complex working environment

The Effects of Flood Warning Information on Driver Decisions in a Driving Simulator Scenario

Flood warnings are a type of risk communication that alerts the public of potential floods. Flood warnings can be communicated through mobile devices and should convey enough information to keep the user safe during a flood situation. However, the amount of detail included in the warning, such as the depth of the flood, may vary. The purpose of this study was to: (a) extend our prior research on flood warnings by recreating the written driving scenarios into the driving simulator; (b) deepen the understanding of human decision-making in risky situations; and (c) investigate how to best inform drivers of floods by design to keep them protected. We examined the effects of flood warning information on the actions taken by drivers in various driving scenarios in a driving simulator. Participants were tasked to drive to a restaurant after receiving instructions and a type of flood information warning during each scenario (flood, no flood, flood of 6 inches, flood of 6 inches maximum). Their actions taken, trust in the navigation system, understanding of the situation and scenario, and perceived risk were measured for each type of flood information warning. We found that participants accepted the alternate route more when in a scenario with a flood present compared to the no-flood scenario. The level of detail of the warning did not influence the actions taken. These results deepened the understanding of human decision-making and can guide future flood warning designs to keep drivers protected from flooded roadways

Effects of cognitive tasks on car drivers’ behaviors and physiological responses

The effects of drivers’ engagement in cognitive tasks (i.e., non-visual, cognitively loading activities unrelated to the task of driving) are debated and unclear. Numerous experiments show impaired driver behaviors, yet naturalistic studies typically do not find an increased crash risk. In the future, autonomous driving (AD) is expected to improve traffic safety while allowing safe engagement in cognitive (and other) tasks. Having the opportunity to perform non-driving related tasks while traveling may then motivate drivers to use AD, provided they can actually engage in the tasks. Unfortunately, research on drivers’ engagement in cognitive tasks suffers severe methodological limitations since reliable and unintrusive measures of cognitive load are lacking.The aim of this thesis is therefore to advance the understanding of task-induced cognitive load in the context of traffic safety. This aim is split into two objectives: A) to better understand how drivers’ involvement in cognitive tasks can affect safety-relevant driver behaviors and decisions and B) to provide methodological guidance about assessing cognitive load in drivers using physiological measures.To accomplish Objective A, effects of cognitive tasks on driver behaviors were studied during routine driving and in a safety-critical event in a driving simulator. Also, drivers’ ability to engage in a non-driving related task while using AD in real traffic was explored. In line with the cognitive control hypothesis (Engstr\uf6m et al., 2017), it was found that cognitive tasks negatively affected driver behaviors in situations where cognitive control was needed, for example in intersections—but not in a lead vehicle braking scenario where responses were triggered automatically by visual looming. It was also found that although the number of off-path glances decreased during cognitive load, the timing of the remaining glances was unaffected. Clearly, cognitive load has different effects on different mechanisms. When using AD, drivers were indeed capable of engaging in a non-driving related task—suggesting that AD will be able to fulfill drivers’ desire to perform such tasks while traveling, which may motivate AD usage and thus improve traffic safety (given that AD is truly safer than manual driving). Finally, a simulator study addressing Objective B showed that the measurability of cognitive load was greatly improved by recognizing that multiple coexisting mental responses give rise to different physiological responses. This approach can provide less context-dependent measurements and allows for a better, more detailed understanding of the effects of cognitive tasks.These findings can help improve traffic safety—both by being used in system development, and as part of the systems themselves

Technical Workshop: Advanced Helicopter Cockpit Design

Information processing demands on both civilian and military aircrews have increased enormously as rotorcraft have come to be used for adverse weather, day/night, and remote area missions. Applied psychology, engineering, or operational research for future helicopter cockpit design criteria were identified. Three areas were addressed: (1) operational requirements, (2) advanced avionics, and (3) man-system integration

Resilience & Wellness Teams: A Comprehensive Maintenance Plan for Law Enforcement Officers

The current culture of policing in the United States has been exposed as having a need for review, re-evaluating and a re-commitment to the expectation of values entrusted to its officers by the citizenry. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) indicators typically take months or years to present in active duty police officers. The onset of symptoms may be subtle, exaggerated, or undetectable without an examination. The complex nature of the unique enterprise of policing exposes officers to mental health hazards continuously over decades. In an effort to explore the predictors and attempt to establish a basis for preventative actions an examination was performed through analyzing quantitative data from three studies. Populations including 413,763 active duty Reserve National Guard Soldiers, 434 officers assigned to the Dallas Police Department, and 3,957 United States Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan were utilized for tis investigation and a bivariate correlation was performed between variables and statistically significant relationships were found to be present between gender, time on the job, level of education, and past experiences where measured. The results support the hypothesis and informed the development of the design of the Resilience and Wellness Teams (PitStop) which will monitor, evaluate, and appropriately respond to the evolving needs of officers throughout their careers. This mechanism will be the first of its kind comprehensive system that endeavors to prevent stress outcomes such as suicide, domestic violence incidents, substance abuse, lawsuits, and patterns of excessive use of force

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter 2014 Annual Conference:Human Factors in high reliability industries

On the occasion of the 2014 Meeting in Lisbon, Portuga

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter 2014 Annual Conference:Human Factors in high reliability industries

On the occasion of the 2014 Meeting in Lisbon, Portuga