ABSTRACT
The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of a multimodal interface indicating the limits of automation in order to stimulate an appropriate level of attention and to induce accurate mode awareness and trust in partial driving automation. Participants drove in a driving simulator with partial driving automation and were confronted with surprising situations of suspension of driving automation systems in different contexts. They drove the simulator during three driving sessions, with either a multimodal interface indicating the limits of automation or a visual basic interface. Their driving performance, ocular behavior, and subjective evaluation of trust and workload were evaluated. The results revealed that the multimodal interface stimulates an appropriate level of attention and increases mode awareness and trust in automation, but these effects are context-dependent. The indications of the limits of automation improved the knowledge regarding automation, but this knowledge did not necessarily lead to improved driving performance. Design solutions are discussed to support the improvement of driving performance for take-overs in vehicles equipped with partial driving automation.
ABSTRACT
The present study investigated the time course of refreshing in young and old adults by analyzing the influence of memory load on response times for the processing of concurrent information. One to five squares sequentially displayed in random locations had to be memorized. Before the serial recall of the squares' locations, participants performed self-paced parity judgments on sequentially presented numbers. Trials without squares-not requiring memorization, but only parity judgments-constituted the control condition. Response times of parity judgments were separated for responses to the first digit and for responses to subsequent digits. In young adults, the results provided evidence for consolidation and refreshing, namely, the linear increase of first and subsequent response times with memory load. For old adults, a different pattern emerged: (1) the mean response time for the first digit processing was longer with memorization than without, probably reflecting task-switching rather than consolidation; and (2) in contrast to young adults, memory load did not affect subsequent response times, suggesting a deficit in the initiation of refreshing. Overall, findings support the hypothesis of impaired refreshing in aging.
