Investigating a Non-Invasive Method of Measuring the Quality of Latent Hazard Schemas of Novice Teen and Experienced Adult Drivers

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate the development of a non-invasive tool for assessing the quality of a driver’s latent hazard schema. Verbal and eye tracking protocols were mapped to Endsley’s model of situation awareness (SA) as a means of measuring schema development. Participants were asked to drive a simulator with various hazard scenarios. Verbal protocol results showed that teenswere less likely to verbally associate subtle cues and accurately state what ‘could happen’. The verbal protocols of teens consisted primarily of simple statements of what was happening and what they were currently doing. Whereas, experienced drivers’ verbal protocols indicated higher levels of processing of the driving environment and contained projections of what could happen. In mapping driver commentary and eye glances for potential hazards in which the hazardous element is hidden from view, experienced adult drivers achieved overall higher level of situation awareness than teen drivers.