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Abstract

The negative consequences of performing multiple concurrent tasks while driving were well documented; however, it was unclear how drivers processed pieces of information that were delivered closely in time and their distractibility due to the types of information received. The objective of this study was to identify the mechanisms that mediated drivers' ability to process relevant and ignore irrelevant signals that could be delivered simultaneously. An experiment, using modified Lavie's response-competition paradigm, was to compare drivers' processing of distractors under perceptually-loaded and cognitively-loaded situations. Specifically, higher perceptual load would lead to decreased distractor processing and higher cognitive load would lead to increased distractor processing. The results didn't show the same direction as Lavie's load theory.

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Effect of Perceptual and Cognitive Loads on Drivers' Attention and Resistance to Distractors

Abstract

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