The impact of cognitive workload on physiological arousal in young adult drivers: a field study and simulation validation

What is it about?

Physiological measures provide a continuous and relatively non-invasive method of characterising workload. The extent to which such measures provide sensitivity beyond that provided by driving performance metrics is more open to question. Heart rate and skin conductance were monitored during actual highway driving in response to systematically increased levels of cognitive demand using an auditory delayed digit recall task. The protocol was consistent with an earlier simulator study, providing an opportunity to assess the validity of physiological measures recorded during driving simulation. The pattern of change in heart rate with increased cognitive demand was highly consistent between field and simulator. The findings meet statistical criteria for both relative and absolute validity, although there was a trend for absolute levels to be higher under actual driving conditions. For skin conductance level, the pattern in both environments was also quite similar and a reasonable case for overall relative validity can be made.

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Why is it important?

Growing complexity and multiple demands on modern drivers’ attention highlight the significance of determining whether physiological measures provide increased sensitivity in workload detection. Better understanding, including whether simulator assessments provide valid measures of real-world response patterns, has implications in evaluating and refining interface designs and for developing advanced workload managers.