Abstract
Mental workload and mind-wandering are highly related to driving safety. This study investigated the relationship between mental workload and mind-wandering while driving. Participants (N = 40) were asked to perform a car following task in driving simulator, and report whether they had experienced mind-wandering upon hearing a tone. After driving, participants reported their workload using the NASA-Task Load Index (TLX). Results revealed an interaction between workload and mind-wandering in two different perspectives. First, there was a negative correlation between workload and mind-wandering (r = -0.459, p < 0.01) for different individuals. Second, from temporal perspective workload and mind-wandering frequency increased significantly over task time and were positively correlated. Together, these findings contribute to understanding the roles of workload and mind-wandering in driving.
Highlights
Driving a vehicle is a complex task that requires physical skills for controlling the direction and speed of a vehicle and mental skills for sustained monitoring of integrated perceptual and cognitive inputs that allow a driver to make time-appropriate decisions [1]
Workload-I is indicated by the workload reported with NASA-Task Load Index (TLX) after driving; it was calculated by averaging the six sub-scales of NASA- TLX is referred to as the Raw TLX (RTLX) [14]
standard deviation of lateral position (SDLP) was analyzed as the Relationship between workload and mind-wandering standard deviation of vehicle offset from the center of the lane in meters, and standard deviation of steering-wheel movements (SDSTW) was analyzed as the standard deviation of steering wheel ratio, such that a maximum left turn was -1, and a maximum right turn was 1
Summary
Driving a vehicle is a complex task that requires physical skills for controlling the direction and speed of a vehicle and mental skills for sustained monitoring of integrated perceptual and cognitive inputs that allow a driver to make time-appropriate decisions [1]. Factors affecting a driver’s mental abilities in these contexts have been extensively investigated. Among the pertinent factors examined, mental workload, defined as the ratio of demand to allocated resources, has been identified as critical to driving performance [2]. In driving a high mental workload appears to increase the risk of accidents. Mind wandering is a common phenomenon during monotonous tasks, such as driving; where it is may impair a driver’s ability to respond to hazards. Understanding the effects of mind wandering on driving is important to insuring driving safety
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