Attention Vision and Glance Behavior

Attentional Control in Young Drivers: Does Training Impact Hazard Anticipation in Dynamic Environments?
Author(s):Sarah Yahoodik Old Dominion University; Yusuke Yamani Old Dominion University
Abstract: The interaction between top-down and bottom-up processing is a way to characterize control of visual attention but it has not been extensively applied to the driving domain. The Risk Awareness and Perception Training (RAPT) has been effective in improving drivers’ latent hazard anticipation a top-down process. However it is unclear whether RAPT protects drivers from being distracted by salient items on the roadway diminishing latent hazard anticipation. The current driving simulator study examines the potential interaction between bottom-up and top-down processes by having RAPT- and Placebo-trained drivers navigate simulated environments with latent hazards and a stationary or dynamically moving pedestrian. While RAPT-trained drivers were better able to anticipate latent hazards than Placebo-trained drivers presence of salient bottom-up stimuli did not negatively impact hazard anticipation performance in either group. This implies RAPT-trained drivers were able to successfully divide their attention anticipating latent hazards even in the presence of dynamic driving-relevant objects.

Driver Visual Processing of Relevant and Irrelevant Information During Mind Wandering
Author(s):Richard Wagner North Carolina State University; Michael Geden North Carolina State University; Jing Feng NCSU; Sophie Forster University of Sussex
Abstract: Mind wandering is a common phenomenon in our daily lives especially in routine tasks such as driving familiar routes. Some evidence suggests that there are detrimental effects of mind wandering on driving performance but limited research has been conducted to examine the influence of mind wandering on a driver’s attentional processing of relevant or irrelevant information. More specifically it is unclear as to whether the effects of mind wandering depend on the task relevancy of information presented in the visual field. The current study expands literature on mind wandering during driving using eye tracking to measure driver visual processing of relevant/irrelevant signage information in a simulated driving task while drivers reported their mental states. Preliminary results showed no significant differences in frequency and duration of glances to roadway information based on the mental state of the individual as well as the task relevancy of the information. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Individual Differences in Glance Patterns under Distraction in Level 2 Automated Driving
Author(s):Shiyan Yang Seeing Machines; Jonny Kuo Seeing Machines; Michael Lenne Seeing Machines
Abstract: This paper investigated individual differences in attentional strategies during the non-driving-related tasks in Level 2 automated driving. Ward’s method was used to cluster participants into different groups according to the characteristics of their sequential off-road glances in the email-sorting task: duration frequency variance and intensity. The clustering results showed two types of sequential off-road glance patterns in distracted Level 2 driving: infrequent long glances vs. frequent short glances. However participants in the two groups showed similar workload driving engagement and email-sorting accuracy. They also reported similar feelings of safety and feedback on Level 2 vehicle automation. These findings demonstrated the complexity of driver attentional strategies across individuals in automated driving which is a necessary aspect of driver state to be monitored in real-time.

Investigating the Effect of Education and Drowsiness Detection on Nurses' Beliefs and Attitudes towards Drowsy Driving
Author(s):Alec Smith Texas A&M University; Farzan Sasangohar Texas A&M University; Anthony McDonald Texas A&M
Abstract: Drowsy Driving is a common yet dangerous problem among nurses with various studies conducted to investigate how to mitigate this issue. While technological interventions show promise there is a gap in understanding nurses’ expectations from such technologies and how such beliefs affect their intention to use technological interventions. To address this issue an integrated model drawing from the constructs of the theory of planned behavior and health belief model was used to elicit nurses’ beliefs in a large health system. Forty-four nurses were split into control educational intervention and education plus technology intervention groups then had their beliefs compared between the beginning and end of the study. Behavioral intention was accurately predicted primarily by attitude and perceived health threat. The results also showed that the intervention groups had more noticeable changes in beliefs than the control group.

Police Officer Interactions with In-vehicle Technologies: An On-Road Investigation
Author(s):Farzaneh Shahini Texas A&M university; Marayam Zahabi Texas A&M university; Benjamin Patranella Texas A&M university; Ashiq Mohammed Abdul Razak Texas A&M university
Abstract: :Police motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of officers’ fatalities in line of duty. These crashes have been attributed not only to driving at high speed in emergency situations but more importantly to interaction
with different in-vehicle technologies. Prior studies in this domain have been limited to specific equipment
and short exposure time and were typically conducted in laboratory settings with simulated environment or
tasks which limit their generalizability to actual police operations. The objective of this study was to identify
the most frequently used and cognitively demanding in-vehicle technologies for police officers while driving.
Ten officers participated in a three-hour ride-along study. Findings suggested that the mobile computer
terminal is the most frequently used and visually and cognitively demanding in-vehicle technology for police
officers. Other factors such as work shift duration and average time spent in the vehicle per shift can also
affect workload. The results indicated the need for improvements in in-vehicle technology design and
implementation officer training protocols and departmental policies in order to reduce officers’ mental
workload and improve safety in police operations.