The Role of Attentional Networks in Secondary Task Engagement in the Context of Partially Automated Driving

Abstract

The usage of partially automated systems has transformed certain traditional driving into monitoring tasks. Simultaneously, drivers may voluntarily switch attention to engage in a secondary visual task. The main purpose of this study was to explore how individuals’ attentional networks (i.e., alerting, orienting, and executive control) influence their visual attention allocation between monitoring and visual secondary tasks. In this study, we simulated specific dual-task condition by a well-controlled monitoring task combined with a visual secondary task. Participants’ visual attention allocation behaviour and task performances were compared with their attentional functions measured by standard Attention Network Test. Two attentional components’ significant effects were found: First, participants with more efficient alerting network spent less time on the monitoring task and exhibited more frequent switching behaviour. Second, participants with more efficient orienting networks showed longer reaction times in the secondary task and conducted less consecutive secondary task trials in once switching.