Effects of Cognitive Load and Anticipation on Driver Responses to a Critical Traffic Event

Abstract

Existing studies on the effects of cognitive load on drivers’ responses to critical traffic events have yielded inconsistent results. The recently proposed cognitive control hypothesis offers a potential explanation for this discrepancy by suggesting that cognitive load selectively impairs aspects of driving relying on cognitive control, that is, novel, non-practiced or inherently difficult tasks, but leaves automatized responses unaffected. The present driving simulator study addressed one specific prediction of the cognitive control hypothesis, namely that the effect of cognitive load on responses to a traffic event should depend on whether the event it anticipated. The results generally supported this prediction, showing no effects of cognitive load on braking and gaze responses to an initial non-anticipated event and gradually increasing cognitive load effects as the scenario was repeated.