Abstract
Driving is an everyday task involving a complex interaction between visual and cognitive processes. As such, an increase in the cognitive and/or visual demands can lead to a mental overload which can be detrimental for driving safety. Compiling evidence suggest that eye and head movements are relevant indicators of visuo-cognitive demands and attention allocation. This study aims to investigate the effects of visual degradation on eye-head coordination as well as visual scanning behavior during a highly demanding task in a driving simulator. A total of 21 emmetropic participants (21 to 34 years old) performed dual-task driving in which they were asked to maintain a constant speed on a highway while completing a visual search and detection task on a navigation device. Participants did the experiment with optimal vision and with contact lenses that introduced a visual perturbation (myopic defocus). The results indicate modifications of eye-head coordination and the dynamics of visual scanning in response to the visual perturbation induced. More specifically, the head was more involved in horizontal gaze shifts when the visual needs were not met. Furthermore, the evaluation of visual scanning dynamics, based on time-based entropy which measures the complexity and randomness of scanpaths, revealed that eye and gaze movements became less explorative and more stereotyped when vision was not optimal. These results provide evidence for a reorganization of both eye and head movements in response to increasing visual-cognitive demands during a driving task. Altogether, these findings suggest that eye and head movements can provide relevant information about visuo-cognitive demands associated with complex tasks. Ultimately, eye-head coordination and visual scanning dynamics may be good candidates to estimate drivers' workload and better characterize risky driving behavior.
Highlights
Vision is one of the most important sensory input used when driving [1], and as such intact visual processing and functions are a prerequisite for driver’s license application
Increasing cognitive demands seem to be associated with lower entropy, which indicates less exploration and Reorganization of eye and head movements depending on visuo-cognitive demands while driving a more predictable pattern of visual scanning [54]
These findings suggest that, in presence of the visual degradation, participants are more likely to direct their eyes and head towards the navigation device located on the car center console
Summary
Vision is one of the most important sensory input used when driving [1], and as such intact visual processing and functions are a prerequisite for driver’s license application. Reorganization of eye and head movements depending on visuo-cognitive demands while driving. NSERC – Essilor Industrial Research Chair (IRCPJ 305729-13), Research and development cooperatif NSERC – Essilor Grant (CRDPJ 533187 - 2018), Prompt (https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ index_eng.asp & https://www.essilor.ca). The funders provided support in the form of salary for author DB but had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
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